


Disturb the Universe

by Roberly



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, NCIS
Genre: Abby-bashing, American Wizarding World - Freeform, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, Crispian Paddington, Dumbledore-bashing, F/M, House Elves, M/M, Mentions of Terrorism, OFC - Freeform, OMC - Freeform, Paperwork, Past Child Abuse, Rough Trade April 2018, canon compliant through PoA, house elf OC, mentions of hate crimes, not Fantastic Beasts-compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-05-17 03:17:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 57,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roberly/pseuds/Roberly
Summary: After Sirius escaped from the Dementors, Harry wondered if he had a godmother as well as a godfather. When Gringotts finds the guardianship documents his parents left, Harry’s life changes for the better. Tony DiNozzo may not be godmother material, but he’s sure as hell going to arrest everyone who committed crimes against his cousin.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my Rough Trade project for April 2018. I had a blast, made it well over the minimum word count for the month, and now I'm posting it here. Enjoy!

### Hogwarts

“You did what?” Ron exclaimed. He stared at Hermione and then fixed his eyes on Harry, as if expecting him to deny it all.

Harry swallowed a mouthful of chocolate, savouring the warmth it brought, and replied, “Just what Hermione said. I think she remembered it all.”

“That’s—that’s bloody mental, you two,” Ron said. He sighed. “Wish I could’ve gone.” He eyed his immobilized leg, which was still healing.

Hermione flopped back onto her pillows and groaned. “It was absolutely terrifying,” she said. “But we managed to save Buckbeak and Sirius, so it was worth it.” 

“Here’s what I don’t get, though,” said Ron, snagging a piece of chocolate from the bowl sitting on the table between his and Harry’s beds. “Dumbledore’s the Chief Warlock. It’s his job to make sure people have trials and stuff. I mean, all they needed was some Veritaserum and they could have checked his story, and ours. It’s allowed in extraordinary circumstances or with consent. Plus they definitely aren’t supposed to have people Kissed like that. It’s only legal at Azkaban, after proper sentencing.”

Hermione blinked. “How on earth do you know all that?”

Ron shrugged. “Dad works at the Ministry,” he said, taking another bite of chocolate. “Mum was really fixed on making sure we knew how it all worked. I think she hoped all of us would end up working there, but Percy’s the only one who really wants to.” 

Hermione leaned out of bed to where she had left her schoolbag and rummaged around, coming up with a notebook and one of the biros she used when she wasn’t in class. She found a blank page and started scribbling. “Why don’t they teach us about this?” she demanded. “I learned about civics and basic government structure in primary school, and I have heard absolutely nothing about magical government in the classes here.”She paused, lifting her pen from the page for a moment. “Harry, have you?”

“Don’t look at me,” said Harry. “Nobody tells me anything. And between schoolwork and people trying to kill me, I don’t exactly have time for research.”

“We mostly learn about it at home before Hogwarts,” Ron offered.

Hermione huffed. “Well, that’s extremely helpful for Muggleborns and halfbloods who live in the Muggle world!” she snapped.

“Hey, it’s not my fault,” said Ron. “I didn’t ask them to do it this way.”

“You didn’t ask them not to do it this way, either,” Hermione said, jabbing her pen into her paper so hard it left a hole. She stared down at it for a moment and then relaxed. “Fine. Can you tell me what you know?”

Harry leaned back in bed. “You two have fun. I need to sleep.”

Hermione smiled sympathetically. “That Patronus was amazing,” she said. “You must be exhausted.”

He nodded and pulled his blanket up over his head to shut out Hermione and Ron’s conversation. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift. He wished...wishing wasn’t any good, really, but he wished Sirius hadn’t been sent to jail, that he’d been able to grow up with his godfather instead of the Dursleys. 

That sparked a memory from when he’d been lying in his cupboard in the dark, one of the days when the battery from the old flashlight he had sneaked in there had flickered out and he couldn’t read anymore. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had been updating their will, and were talking about guardianship for Dudley, if they died. 

“Marge will take him, of course,” Vernon had said. “The freak can go into care, but Marge will take Dudley.”

Petunia had cleared her throat. “What if something happens to Marge? Or if she can’t take Dudley? We don’t want him in care – they’d probably put him with the boy.”

“Right,” Vernon had replied. “Back-ups, just in case. Your friend Audrey and her husband don’t have kids. Let’s put them down.”

Harry had listened to his aunt and uncle casually dismiss him for the thousandth time and had wondered what it might be like to have parents who care enough to plan where you might go if they died.

Hermione and Ron’s chatter seemed to get quieter as Harry remembered. His parents had cared enough. Maybe...maybe they had a back-up guardian listed, someone who wasn’t the Dursleys. Maybe they had had a will and it had gotten overlooked or lost when Voldemort attacked. Sirius would know, but Harry had no idea how to contact him now that he had escaped.

Then it hit him. Professor Lupin! He knew Harry’s dad, too, and he knew Sirius. Maybe he would know, too. He’d have to ask him in the morning, after the moon had gone down. Plan made, Harry drifted off to sleep.

#### The next morning

Madam Pomfrey insisted on serving breakfast to Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the hospital wing before releasing them. She kicked them out once she felt certain Ron could walk on his leg again. Harry excused himself while Hermione dragged Ron off to the library to help her research the Ministry. He wasn’t sure where Professor Lupin would be, but he started with his office.

Professor Lupin was in his office, a trunk sitting open in the centre of the room. Harry took it in and stared at the man. “You’re leaving?”

Lupin set a book in the trunk and smiled sadly. “I’m afraid so,” he said. “I can’t stay after last night, not after endangering you all.”

“But...you didn’t hurt any of us. And you’re safe if you take the Wolfsbane, right?” said Harry.

“But I forgot it last night,” said Lupin. “And someone let it slip. No parent will want a werewolf teaching their children.”

“You’re the best teacher we’ve had for Defense!” Harry protested, tears springing to his eyes. "It's not fair!"

“Fairness won’t matter to them,” said Lupin. He stared into his half-filled trunk. “I don’t suppose you’d like to help me pack?”

Harry swallowed away his tears. “Okay,” he said, heading to the bookshelf. “Are all of these yours?”

“Unless they have a Hogwarts library stamp,” said Lupin. They packed the trunk together in silence for a few minutes, and then Harry decided he might as well ask.

“So, last night, Sirius told me that he was my godfather,” he said, looking down at the book he had just picked up so he wouldn’t have to see Lupin’s reaction.

“That’s right,” said Lupin. He smiled. “He was so excited about you. Until they went into hiding, he was over at James and Lily’s house all the time. He was practically a third parent.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Harry. “I mean, I didn’t know he was my godfather.”

Lupin sighed. “I suppose, given that everyone thought he had betrayed your parents, your guardian might not have wanted to say anything.” He lifted a small stone sculpture from a shelf and wrapped it in a battered woolen scarf.

Harry shrugged and stacked some more books into the trunk. “The Dursleys don’t tell me much of anything.”

The werewolf stilled. “The Dursleys?” His tone was casual, but something sounded off.

Harry blinked. “Yeah. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon. I live with them. Aunt Petunia was Mum’s sister.”

Lupin set the artifact and scarf down. “Harry, you were never supposed to go to Petunia’s. If something happened to Sirius, you were supposed to go to your godmother and her family...well, Alice can’t now. But I very clearly remember James saying that Tony was on the list, too.”

Harry felt like he was standing on the edge of cliff. He had been right. “Who’s Tony?”

“Anthony, but he goes by Tony. He’s one of James’ cousins, about the same age as us. Last time I heard, he was living in America.”

“Could you...do you know how to contact him?” Harry asked. “I just...I can’t face living with the Dursleys anymore. Dumbledore always says I have to go back, but I don’t want to. If you have his address, I could write to him.”

“No, I don’t have it, but I know who will,” Lupin said grimly. He gestured with his wand and the door to his office swung shut. “How much do you know about Gringotts?”

Harry and Lupin sat down at the desk, Lupin ordered tea from the house elves, and Harry proceeded to get a lesson in the role of the goblins in magical society that was nothing like the lectures he heard in History of Magic. Lupin, who told Harry to call him Remus now that he had resigned from Hogwarts, helped Harry draft a letter to the goblins which authorized him to access any guardianship documents the Potters had left on Harry’s behalf. He assured Harry that if he couldn’t contact Tony through Gringotts, he would track him down another way. School let out in another week and a half, so that gave them plenty of time to make some sort of arrangements. Remus would meet Harry at the train station and take him over to Gringotts. “If I can’t get Tony here by then, I know someone who will be willing to have you stay until he can get here,” Remus assured him.

“But what if he doesn’t want me? I’ve never even heard of him.”

Remus grinned. “I remember Tony very well,” he said. “I think it’s safe to say that he won’t let anyone stop him from getting to you.”

Once they were done with the letter for Gringotts, Harry scribbled a letter to the Dursleys, telling them that he had a ride home from the train and they wouldn’t need to come fetch him. He said goodbye to Remus, who handed him the Marauders’ Map in farewell, and headed for the Owlery. 

Harry watched Hedwig fly away clutching the letter and something very like hope seemed to fizzle beneath his skin.

### Two days later, Washington, DC

Tony DiNozzo closed his door behind himself and leaned against it for a moment. He shut his eyes and tried to let the stress of his most recent case slide away. Then he locked the door, activated his security system, and stowed his gun in its safe. After a quick shower, he noticed that the post box he kept in his walk-in closet had mail.

He opened it up and stared at the letter on top. The box was full of the usual magical newspapers, a few newsletters he subscribed to, Gringotts account statements, and a couple pieces of junk mail. The letter he picked up was none of those. 

The envelope was heavy linen paper, and the full Gringotts seal was stamped on it in purple wax. The envelope had to have multiple sheets in it.

Tony lifted his wand and scanned the letter for curses with one of the spells he had learned in his MBI training. It was clear. He cracked the seal. The envelope contained two letters and some official paperwork. He read the Gringotts letter first. The other seemed to be an enclosure written by someone whose handwriting was vaguely familiar.

He frowned over the letter, and read it again. “Fuck,” he said, setting the letter down to pull out his suitcase and start packing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gets ready to pack up and go to England.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MBI here stands for the Magical Bureau of Investigation. Tony is an MBI agent who liaises with NCIS to handle magical cases. His status as an MBI agent is, however, only known to a handful of NCIS personnel. When not working magic-related cases, Tony functions as a regular agent who works on the MCRT.

**Washington, DC**

Tony opened his suitcase, and then decided to read the rest of the paperwork before he started packing. The Gringotts letter informed him that, as requested by the Potter account holder, Harry James Potter, they had investigated listed guardians for one Harry James Potter in the paperwork regarding the estate of James and Lily Potter. Harry James Potter currently had no legally appointed guardian, mundane or magical. As Sirius Black was considered a fugitive from justice by the British Ministry, and Alice Longbottom was non compos mentis, it fell to Anthony Paddington DiNozzo to either accept guardianship of Harry James Potter, or to determine a suitable guardian for him. As the Wizengamot had ordered the Potters’ wills sealed until such time as their primary heir would be able to order them unsealed, the goblins of Gringotts had been unable to contact him on this matter until now.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Something had gone badly wrong with his cousin’s child, and he would do what he could to fix it. The letter noted that the enclosures included paperwork to agree to guardianship, and a letter from Harry Potter’s currently appointed advocate, Remus John Lupin.

Tony set the paperwork aside to complete later, and picked up the letter from Remus. 

 

_Dear Tony,_

_I realize that this may be a shock for you, but I suspect that you may have been kept in the dark about what’s happened over the last few years. In short, Sirius was sent to Azkaban after James and Lily were murdered, because everyone thought he had been their Secret-Keeper and had thus betrayed them to Voldemort. He was framed by the real Secret-Keeper, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius escaped from prison when he learned that Peter, in his Animagus form (which you’ll remember is a rat), was in hiding at Hogwarts as the pet of one of Harry’s friends. He’s still on the run, since Peter escaped before we managed to capture him, and the Ministry is more interested in executing an escaped prisoner than in listening to his claims of wrongful conviction._

_I was told that Harry was in hiding in the Muggle world, to keep him safe from the remaining Death Eaters. I was left to assume that you had taken him. I didn’t get to see Harry until I was teaching him at Hogwarts this year. He told me that he had never even heard of you, and that Dumbledore had placed him with Lily’s sister and her family. He doesn’t want to go back there. Honestly, I suspect abuse, but he’s not saying anything. He’s just...he’s too small, too thin, and too wary of adults._

_Harry authorized me to investigate the guardianship paperwork for him and have Gringotts contact you. School gets out on June 25, and I have told Harry I will meet him at the train station and take him to Gringotts. If you can’t make it to London by then, send me a letter and I’ll take him to your aunt and uncle._ _I wish I had contacted you before this. I have no excuse, other than being lost in my own grief and too consumed with my own troubles. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, and I’m trying to do the right thing now._ _Remus John Lupin_

Tony exhaled slowly, then took another slow, deep breath. Losing his focus now would be bad. He had no desire to fry all his electronics. Their warding wouldn’t hold up against a magical meltdown. He doubted his neighbours would thank him for it, either.

Once he felt his magic was under control, he found his cell phone and dialed the first number in it.

“Gibbs!” a brusque voice said.

“Hey Gibbs, it’s Tony,” he said. “I’m going to need to put in for emergency family leave, starting right away.”

“Send an email to HR, and I’ll take care of whatever else you need,” Gibbs said. There was a pause. “Your mom’s family?”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “I’m going to have to head over to England for a while.”

“Did you want me to come over?”

Tony closed his eyes and took another long, deep breath. “Please.”

“Give me half an hour,” said Gibbs, and he hung up.

Tony looked back at his empty suitcase and decided he could give it half an hour. He slid to floor and focused on breathing.

************************************************************************

Jethro Gibbs had learned about magic shortly after he joined NCIS. He had had a very specifically-worded clearance level assigned to him, was given a number to call if any of his cases appeared to have a magical aspect to them, and mostly left with that. He worked a few joint cases with agents from the Magical Bureau of Investigation, and didn’t really learn more about magic than that it existed and it was weird. Then he met Tony DiNozzo.

They met on a case while Tony was still assigned to Baltimore PD as an MBI liasion agent. He was there to be a cop, to work cases, and to deal with any magical weirdness that popped up in their jurisdiction. For some reason, Baltimore was a popular place for magical criminals. The case that introduced them was completely mundane, but it resulted in Jethro offering, and Tony accepting, a transfer to NCIS.

Their first NCIS case together was magical, literally. That particular one ended with Jethro learning that the “stake to the heart” bullshit about vampires really was bullshit. All it took was a good knife. Tony’s feral grin over the rapidly decaying corpses of the vampires who had been targeting minor Navy personnel was all it took for Jethro to realize he was in deeper than he had expected.

That had been over two years ago. Now they had a team that included more than themselves. Magic-related cases became things to step carefully around. Tony occasionally was pulled by other teams to do “undercover” work, and Jethro hated not being on Tony’s six when he was working magical cases on his own, but the thought of Tony going over to England alone to deal with something with his magical family made his gut itch.

Jethro had heard what Tony wasn’t saying over the phone. This was more than just an emergency. Before he left his house, he called and put in an order for pick-up for Tony’s favourite pizza place, and swung by there on the drive over. He let himself into the apartment with his key, noting the weird tingle he got when he stepped over the threshhold. Tony had told him that was his magical security system, and that Jethro was cleared to enter. He hadn’t asked how it worked. He typed in the code on the mundane security system and re-set it. 

Leaving the pizzas on the kitchen, he headed for the bedroom, to find Tony sprawled on the floor in one of those yoga poses, breathing slowly with his eyes closed.

“Read that letter on the bed,” said Tony without opening his eyes. “Well, both of them. Read the official one first.”

Jethro sat down on the floor next to Tony, leaning against the bed, and read, frowning as he did so. “What the hell is this?” he asked when he finished the first one. 

“Read the second one,” said Tony. He shifted positions. “It gets worse.”

Jethro set the second letter aside on the bed. “So, a kid wants you to be his guardian without having even heard of you before this? That sounds like he needs help.” 

“Oh, there’s more to it than that, Jethro,” said Tony. “James and Lily died thirteen years ago this coming Halloween. Harry was one. He’s turning fourteen in July. Harry has apparently been without an actual legal guardian since his parents died, because someone at the Ministry decided to seal James and Lily’s wills. And when I find out who did, I am so having them arrested for everything I can possibly think of.”

Jethro snorted. “You’re not just going to shoot them?”

"Too much paperwork,” Tony deadpanned. “Also, not sure if I could get away with it. Britain’s not as lax with guns as the States is, and while the magical community barely knows what a gun is, they do know what dead looks like.”

“Really? Most of the wizards we’ve arrested together know exactly what a gun is.”

Tony slid into a sitting position and scooted over to sit next to Jethro. “Yeah, well, America’s different than Britain. British wizards are...behind the times.” He leaned his head against Jethro’s shoulder. “Jeth, this is going to be horrible, on all kinds of levels. Part of me just wants to hide in here and never leave. Does that make me a bad person?”

Jethro wrapped an arm around Tony and pulled him in closer. “Makes you human,” he said. “You get a few minutes to wrap your brain around this.”

“Thanks,” said Tony. They sat in silence for a while. Then Tony sniffed. “Is that pizza?”

“Yeah,” said Jethro. “Brought your favourite. Figured it would help.”

“Bring it in here so I can pack and eat. I want to leave tonight and see what’s up with Uncle Clive and Aunt Huang. They would have told me about Sirius, so someone’s done something there.”

Jethro went and came back with the two pizzas, a roll of paper towels, and two beers from the fridge. “There’s that memory spell thing you guys can do.”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “Fortunately, depending on the version, those memories are retrievable.” He took a bite of pizza and pushed the door to his closet open wider. Holding his wand in one hand, and a slice of pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese in the other, he summoned robes from the end of his closet that hid his magical clothing.

“Are those dresses?” said Jethro, settling on the bed to watch Tony pack. He was always fascinated when Tony used magic around him.

“They’re called robes,” said Tony. “I told you the magical community in Britain was behind the times.”

“Looks like the kind of thing you’d wear at a college graduation.”

“Well, the medieval tradition that spawned those is the same one that’s left wizards wearing variations of robes in the 21st century,” said Tony. “So you’re not wrong. But I will need to wear these if I have to deal with the Ministry because they won’t take me seriously otherwise."

"Not even in your fancy designer suits?”

Tony snorted. “Especially not those. They’re by _Muggle_ designers.”

"What’s a Muggle?” Jethro asked.

“A mundane,” said Tony. “Or No-Maj, if you want to use the old pre-WWII slang that some of the older magicals in the States like to throw around. The Brits use the term ‘Muggle’ and I hate it. It’s condescending, rude, and implies inferiority.”

"No-Maj?” said Jethro. “Who came up with that?”

“Hell if I know,” said Tony. “Technically it’s not true, since pretty much everything that’s alive has some magic. Magicians just have more of it, and can access it in multiple ways.”

"So I’d be called a Muggle in Britain,” said Jethro.

Tony paused in orchestrating his suit pants into folding themselves into the suitcase. “They would call you that, but technically you’re what they would call Squib, and what Americans call Dormants,” he said, before continuing with packing. “You have a magical core, but the channels that would allow you to access it fully don’t exist. You might have a magical ancestor, or it might just be a genetic quirk. It’s possible that Kelly was a magician and you just never got to find out, since she could have inherited magic from you. Having that magical core allows you to see and interact with the magical world more easily than the average mundane, and most Dormants can use magic in limited ways.” Tony grinned. “Pretty sure your gut is magical.”

Jethro blinked for a moment, absorbing that information. “You’ve never mentioned it.”

“At first I thought you knew but just didn’t talk about it. The person who handled your security clearance should have detected it and told you but since I’m nosy, I took a quick look at your file last time I was in at the MBI. They missed it completely and you were listed as mundane. I updated it for you and was going to tell you last week before our last case went pear-shaped.” Tony finished folding shirts into his suitcase and started on socks and underwear.

Jethro eyed the suitcase. He was pretty sure it wasn’t that big on the outside. “What does that mean?”

“Well, you’d technically be considered a Squib to anyone with working mage sight in Britain, but they tend to only call people Squibs when they’re born into a fully magical family and can’t do magic with wands themselves. They get treated like crap, frankly, and it pisses me off.”

Jethro downed some of his beer. “Your mom.”

“My mom,” said Tony. “Her family are considered scandalous because the Paddingtons are an old wealthy family who have never bothered maintaining purity of the blood and because they treat Squibs like human beings. Mom couldn’t do much magically, but she could cast wandless glamours on herself. She was already beautiful, but her magic could make her stunning.” His expression dimmed. “She moved to America because she could stay part of the magical community here without being treated like she was deficient in something. Then she met my father.”

“Did he know about magic?”

“For a while. His security clearance got revoked eventually.” Tony set his wand down and shut his suitcase. “By the end of it, Mom mostly used her magic to hide the bruises he left on her.”

Jethro drew Tony onto the bed next to him. “Not your fault, Tony.”

“I know that now,” said Tony. “When I was seven, I sure didn’t.” He sighed in a long shudder. “I never wanted James’ kid to live in that kind of environment. I don’t know what’s happened to him, but I do know that Lily’s sister hated magic in a way that was utterly irrational.”

“Then go get him and bring him home,” said Jethro. “I’d come with you, but I don’t think I can trust Kate or McGee on their own.”

Tony snorted. “Not yet. I need to get over to the MBI office to book a Portkey. But let’s finish the pizza first.”

**********************************************

Tony arrived at the International Portkey Office in London at 6 a.m. London time. It was 1 a.m. DC time, he was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Instead, he Apparated to Diagon Alley and went to Gringotts. He handed over the completed guardianship documents to Harry’s accounts manager and told them to go ahead and run a thorough background check on him, and to take the fees for it from his own account. He wanted to show Harry that he was trustworthy from the beginning, and to make sure that he had everything done correctly in case someone challenged his guardianship. 

After that, he went to the Owl Post Office in the Alley, wrote a quick note to Remus, and posted it there. He stared blearily around the Alley for a moment. The place was just starting to wake up. There was nowhere to get coffee. He debated – head straight to Paddington House and get coffee there, or head out of the Alley, find some coffee, and then go to Paddington House?

A tremendous yawn decided him. He didn’t want to Apparate without caffeine in him. He slipped out through one of the side entrances to the Alley, one he remembered discovering with James and Crispian, and emerged in London, right next to a proper coffee shop.

Tony downed one coffee, ordered a second to go, and then stepped back into the shelter of Diagon Alley, paper cup in one hand, suitcase in the other, and Apparated to his uncle’s home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony meets with his aunt and uncle.

**Paddington House**

Tony was keyed into the wards at Paddington House, so he Apparated into the front hallway. He felt a little disoriented from the travel and his general exhaustion, so he had only made it half to the stairs when his aunt turned up. He figured it wasn’t too early, since she was wearing day robes in the crimson with orange accents that she favoured, and her black hair was neatly put up.

“Anthony!” she exclaimed, rushing to meet him. He had to drop his suitcase and juggle his coffee cup carefully so he could accept her hug without spilling hot liquid all over her.

She stepped back to take him in. “This is a surprise, Anthony. I wish you had told us you were coming. You didn’t even give us enough warning to tell Lizbet to have your favourite dinner ready for tonight.”

Tony smiled at his aunt. “Auntie Huang, anything Lizbet makes is my favourite. And I am sorry to show up without warning, but I didn’t know I would be coming until last night. I took a Portkey here in the middle of the night. Well, middle of the night my time.”

“What is so urgent that you couldn’t even send us a text?” Huang asked, linking an arm through his and lifting his suitcase with her wand. “Your room isn’t ready, either, but that will only take a moment to fix.” She pulled him towards the stairs that led to the family rooms.

Tony wasn’t entirely sure where to start, so he decided to jump into the middle. “Auntie, do you know what Sirius Black’s been up to lately?” he asked.

Huang stopped walking and frowned, her dark eyebrows furrowing together. “Sirius Black...no, we haven’t heard from him in ages. Why?”

“Did you know that he was sent to Azkaban?”

Tony’s suitcase fell to the floor with a thud as Huang lost control of the spell. “That nice boy, in Azkaban? What on earth for?”

Tony retrieved his suitcase. “He was accused of betraying the Potters to Voldemort. I’ve been told he was innocent but that doesn’t really change the fact that he’s been locked up for years and yesterday was the first I’d heard of it. You don’t remember?”

“No, I do not. Rest assured, if I had known, I would have gone out there to give him a piece of my mind and to ascertain his guilt.” 

Tony found the door of his suite and opened it, directing his suitcase to the couch near the fireplace. Huang followed him and lit the fire with a snap of her wand and a brisk spell. The flame flared up as it ignited but quickly subsided to a normal level.

“What else do you need to know, Anthony?” Huang asked. 

Given that his aunt looked like she wanted to set something else on fire, Tony said, “Okay, did anyone come to see you about Harry after the Potters were murdered? To tell you that he was in hiding but that you couldn’t contact him, despite being family?”

She nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Albus Dumbledore. He assured us that Harry was safe, gave us a Muggle post office box number to write to, and told us that it was likely he and his guardians would be unable to write back.” Huang sank down onto the sofa. “That visit...it’s a bit fuzzy.” Frustration clouded her face as she tried to remember.

Tony knelt before his aunt and took her hands in his. “I think he may have Obliviated you,” he said gently. “Did he talk to Clive and Crispian, too?”

“Yes,” said Huang decisively. This she did remember. “All three of us.” 

“Dammit,” said Tony, standing. “Is Crispian off to work already?”

“Oh yes, just before you arrived. Should I call him back?”

Tony shook his head. “I need to sleep. But I think you and Clive should read these letters,” he said, drawing them out of his suit pocket. “Is it okay if I talk to him later? I’ll try to be down for lunch.”

Huang straightened and took the papers from him. “Of course, Anthony. Sleep as long as you need to. I’ll let Lizbet know you’re here, though I suppose she’s already aware.”

Tony opened the door to the bedroom. “Given that it looks like the linens were just changed, I’d say so.” His room looked much as he left it, but the coverlet on the bed was a different colour and had been turned down to reveal clean sheets. He staggered over to the bed, kicked off his shoes, and shrugged out of his jacket.

Huang smiled. “Good. You look like you’re about to fall over. Sleep. I’ll go have a chat with Clive and then I think a trip to the cellar is in order.”

Tony paused in hanging his jacket up in the wardrobe. “Just activate the wards in the ritual room before you start setting things on fire, please.”

******************************

Tony emerged from his rooms at two in the afternoon, a bit more rested, and feeling more awake after a shower. He wandered downstairs and into the kitchen, where the family house elf, Lizbet, was rolling out pie crust.

“Pie?” he asked.

Lizbet looked up and scowled at him. “You is a bad wizard, Master Anthony, for not saying you is coming! I already starts dinner, so you will has to live with it!”

Tony laughed. “I’m sorry, Lizbet. I was worried and didn’t want anyone to know I was coming.” He sat on one of the stools near the counter. 

Lizbet set aside her rolling pin and bustled over to another counter. She started assembling a sandwich. “Mistress Huang shows me your letters. You go to Gringotts?”

“I did,” said Tony. “I’ve filed the guardianship paperwork, and was going to spend the rest of the week getting things ready and doing some investigating.”

The house elf had brightened up, but at the reminder of Tony’s need to investigate, she scowled again. “Bad wizard be coming here and hurting family, and Lizbet not see it!" She slammed a plate down in front of Tony. He looked down at the sandwich, chopped vegetables, and fruit, and started eating. “Tea be ready in a moment,” said Lizbet, pointing at the range where there was a steaming kettle.

“I’m pretty sure Dumbledore either worked around you very carefully or he Obliviated you as well,” said Tony. “This is amazing, by the way.”

“Master Anthony always says that,” said Lizbet. She filled a teapot with hot water and it floated over to land in front of Tony, accompanied by a teacup and saucer and a small jug of milk.

“Because it’s true,” he said.

Lizbet smiled at him. “Flatterer,” she said. “I is making cherry pie for you.”

“Thank you,” said Tony. “You are a queen among magical beings.”

The door to the kitchen opened. “There you are,” said Tony’s uncle. “I gather you’re here to kick over a hornet’s nest.”

Tony waved a hand and another stool slid up to the counter. “Join me. I think we may need to do some plotting.”

Clive sat down and another teacup floated over for him. “Thank you, Lizbet,” he said. 

“Give tea three more minutes to steep,” she instructed sternly, and went back to rolling out pastry.

Tony finished his sandwich and started in on the fruit Lizbet had given him. She was determined that none of her wizards were going to develop scurvy if she could help it. He remembered trying to explain to her years ago that it was unlikely he would develop scurvy, given how many foods in the modern diet contained Vitamin C, but she had heard horror stories from her grandmother and insisted that he eat his fruits and vegetables. Tony couldn’t really complain about healthy food, especially since anything she made was delicious, and had given up. 

Another plate of fruit showed up in front of Clive. He sighed, picked up a piece of peach, and took a bite. 

“So, my lovely wife is busy making things explode downstairs,” he said. 

Tony laughed. “I suppose that’s my fault.”

“No, it’s the fault of whoever Obliviated us,” said Clive. “I strongly suspect that it was Albus Dumbledore, given the memories surrounding the gap, but we’ll have to wait until Crispian gets home to see if we can confirm that.”

“Do you think the memories are retrievable?” Tony asked. 

Clive nodded and checked the teapot. “One and a half minutes!” shouted Lizbet. 

“Yes, Lizbet,” said Clive, removing his hands from the teapot. “Yes, I do. I did some meditation while you were asleep and it feels more like a veil over them rather than an outright absence of the memory. Crispian’s described the difference between types of memory charms that way to me. Mind Magic isn’t exactly my speciality, but I do know the basics.”

“Crispian and I together should be able to reverse the charm,” said Tony. “So then we can confirm who planned to keep Sirius in prison for something he didn’t do.” He frowned. “I hate corrupt judicials.”

“You hate corruption, full stop,” Clive corrected. He checked his watch and then lifted the teapot. The strainer popped into being on top of his teacup. “Thank you, Lizbet,” he said to the elf, who was now assembling pies with brisk efficiency. 

Tony added milk to his teacup and took the strainer when Clive was done with it. His uncle poured the tea, set the pot aside, and added milk to his own cup. He took a long sip, and then focused his attention back on his nephew. “What are your plans?”

“I was hoping to arrange a meeting with Remus Lupin for tomorrow,” Tony said. “Probably not here. Somewhere neutral. I need any information he can give me, on both Sirius and Harry. There’s a good chance that he can get me in contact with Sirius, and I’ll want to interview him. I got the goblins started on running a deep background check on me so that Harry will be assured I’m not a serial killer, and in case anyone challenges my suitability. The paperwork will need to be entirely in order. I want to be careful about it, so that Dumbledore doesn’t get wind of it before it’s too late. If he’s done half of what I think he’s done regarding this whole situation, he’s well overdue for an inquiry, at a minimum.”

“How much proof do we have so far?”

“Some,” said Tony. “Not enough, not yet. I can get miscarriage of justice if there’s enough evidence left regarding Sirius’ trial, but I want Sirius’ testimony and to make sure he’s in a safe place before I start requesting official documents.”

“Before our solicitor starts requesting official documents,” Clive corrected. “Sirius is family, and he’s the last of the primary line of the Blacks. Arcturus just died last year. I suspect he was meddled with, too, since I can’t imagine him not visiting Sirius in prison at the very least. Miscarriage of justice is enough to get him suspended from the Wizengamot for an inquiry.”

Tony had pulled out his notebook and started scribbling. “And subsequently, a suspension from the ICW Assembly, since the Supreme Mugwump cannot serve if they are under inquiry in their own country. We could use that to get Sirius an appeals trial through the ICW. I don’t trust the Wizengamot to give him a fair trial, even if he consents to Veritaserum.”

“What about his claim on Harry? I know you want to take guardianship. Would you transfer that to Sirius once we get him exonerated?”

Tony tapped his pen against the paper, thinking. “Sirius has been locked up in Azkaban for twelve years,” he said slowly. “I doubt that he is physically healthy, and his mental health is likely unstable because of the Dementors. I’m not sure I would trust him to be a reliable caretaker without extensive Mind Healing. Harry’s almost fourteen; Sirius would need, at minimum, a year of recovery. I’m not sure it would be in Harry’s best interests to transfer guardianship at that point. I would rather have Sirius visit frequently or even stay with us, but not transfer guardianship.”

Clive poured himself a second cup of tea. “That seems reasonable,” he said. “And Harry?”

“The current plan, which I will confirm with Remus, is for Remus to pick him up at the train station on the 25th and bring him to Gringotts. I’ll meet them there, see how Harry feels about me, and finalize the guardianship papers. Then Harry and I will come here and I was hoping you’d lock down the wards for us.”

“Naturally,” said Clive. “And after?”

“I need to figure out what to do with work. I have a few options, but I think we’ll want to get Harry’s passport sorted and then I’ll take him back to DC with me for a few weeks. It’ll get us some distance from the situation, and if we’ve filed charges before that, keep him away from any of the problems that might arise there.” Tony made a few notes on that. 

Clive cleared his throat. “And your partner?”

Tony looked up from his notebook. “Jethro told me he would support whatever I needed to do. I don’t know what that will mean for us, but he’s aware that I may need to relocate here for a few years.” He glanced down and then back up. “He understands more than you might think. His wife and daughter died when he was deployed overseas while he was still in the Marines. He’s been a parent.”

“Would he move here with you?”

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m reluctant to ask him to give up his life in DC just because I’m suddenly a parent.”

“Is it because he’s non-magical?”

“Not that,” said Tony. “He’s a Dormant.” Tony grimaced. “A Squib.”

“Use Dormant,” said Clive. “It’s more accurate and less rude. Claire certainly would have preferred it.” 

Tony nodded in agreement. “That doesn’t matter to me, but it does make things easier on this end. But it’s a lot to ask. He has a job, a house, a life.”

“One that you are part of,” Clive gently reminded him.

“I know,” said Tony. “But this is something Jethro and I will have to work out together, and in person. For all I know, Harry will love the idea of moving to the States and want to transfer schools.”

“Just give him options,” said Clive. “I doubt he’s had many before this.”

The wards pinged. “Ah, Crispian’s home,” said Clive. “Let’s go dig out some memories.”

******************************

Huang paced back and forth in front of the fire in the sitting room, the fire sparking and flaring with her movements. “And you’re telling me I cannot go to Hogwarts and rip his absurd beard from his face?”

“Mum,” said Crispian, “it’s not a good idea. It’s much better to have him arrested for assault and illegal memory modification.”

“Not to mention interfering with a peer’s will in order to take control of a minor’s estate,” added Tony, who was sprawled on one of the sofas. “I was going to ask Harry to request a full audit of his accounts on Saturday.”

Lizbet popped in with a large tray. “I can tells the Hogwarts elves to do things to him,” she offered.

“Tempting,” said Clive. “But we shouldn’t tip our hand. He can ask them why and they’ll have to answer. I wouldn’t want them to get into trouble. If he slithers out of the charges, you can have a chat with them.”

Lizbet nodded. “You all need to eat after magics. Master Anthony, this came for you.” She extracted a letter from her apron pocket and gave it to him.

“Thanks,” said Tony. He opened it. “Ah, good, Remus has confirmed that he and I will meet at a non-magical pub tomorrow at lunchtime. I can buy him lunch and grill him about Harry and Sirius.”

******************************

Tony was not happy with Remus’ condition. He knew the man was a werewolf, and that British laws surrounding the employment of werewolves were strict, but he wished Remus wasn’t too proud to ask for help. Tony would have happily sponsored him to get him over to the States, where the laws were more lax and the magical community more friendly towards weres. Tony ordered lunch for both of them, and let Remus eat while he asked a few questions about Harry, and about Remus’ year teaching at Hogwarts. Once Remus had finished eating, Tony very carefully cast a privacy spell, and asked the question he most needed an answer to.

“Do you know where Sirius is?”

Remus refused to meet Tony’s eyes.

“Remus, I have no interest in arresting him. I just need to talk with him about a few details of his case so I can get him exonerated. So, do you know where he is?”

“Fine,” said Remus. “But if he bites you, I’m not taking the blame for it.”

Tony rolled his eyes, and went to the counter to pay for their meal. Once he and Remus left the pub, they found a quiet spot to Apparate from. Tony took the arm Remus offered him. The world spun. Tony recognized the sensation of Apparating farther than a thousand miles. When he could see again, he blinked. “Why are we in Iceland?”

“Magical Iceland does not have extradition treaties with Magical Britain,” said Remus. “They think Azkaban is inhumane.”

“It is,” Tony murmured. “Not even Cheney would send someone there.” He didn’t bother to explain that to Remus, distracted by a large black dog who was approaching them. He had only seen Sirius’ Animagus form a few times, but he was fairly certain that’s who he was looking at. The dog stopped and whined at them.

“Anywhere we can talk privately around here?” Tony asked. They were in a remote area, standing on a beach, and no one else was visible, but they were also very exposed. 

The dog trotted off towards the rocky cliffs. Remus and Tony followed him into a cave, where he lurched abruptly into Sirius. Remus hugged his friend, who seemed more skin and bones and wild hair than anything else.

Tony looked around the cave and frowned. “This is where you’re staying?”

“It keeps the rain off,” said Sirius in a raspy voice. “Tony, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I recently found out about your wrongful conviction. Saint Dumbledore told me that Harry was in Witness Protection and strongly implied that you were with him. Then he erased my aunt, uncle, and cousin’s memories so they wouldn’t tell me you were in Azkaban. He even thoughtfully provided me with a non-magical post office box to send letters to. I’ve been writing monthly letters to you and Harry for the last twelve years under the assumption that you were getting them but couldn’t write back, for safety’s sake.” Tony’s tone was light, but the expression on his face was anything but.

“I see,” said Sirius. “What do you want from me?”

“Your story,” Tony said, finding a rock to sit on. He pulled a notepad and pen out of his pocket. “How did you get convicted for a crime you didn’t commit?”

“I wasn’t convicted,” said Sirius. “They arrested me and then sent me to Azkaban. No trial.”

“They what?” Several of the rocks on the ground shook.

Sirius slid to the sandy floor of the cave, looking too tired to continue standing. “I doubt I was the only one. Bartemius Crouch got a little enthusiastic there at the end of the war.”

Remus looked sober. “His son was a Death Eater – he was arrested with the LeStranges when they were caught torturing the Longbottoms.”

“I did hear about that,” said Tony. “Still no excuse for violating _habeas corpus_. Has anything been done for Alice and Frank?”

“I don’t know,” said Remus. “Last I heard, they were in the long-term care ward at St. Mungo’s. Dumbledore told me that the Cruciatus torture broke their minds.”

“That’s...kind of bull,” said Tony. “I met Alice and Frank a few times, and both of them had Mind Magic training. Occlumency would have allowed them to retreat into their minds to deal with the torture. They could just be stuck.”

“Shite,” said Remus. He looked like he had started to realize just how deep this conspiracy went. “And Augusta would have listened to Dumbledore’s advice on the matter. What would he have to gain from that?”

“Harry,” said Sirius grimly. He was staring at the sand and idly tracing patterns in it with one finger. “I was listed first as his guardian, Alice was second, and...”

“I was third,” said Tony. “I suppose I’m lucky he just lied to me and erased a few of my family’s memories.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll make a plan to help Frank and Alice once we’ve sorted you out, Sirius. I have some connections in the ICW, and if I get them to handle your case, you’ll be cleared. I don’t want to give Dumbledore an excuse to eliminate them, and I’ll have to meet with Augusta Longbottom to have a chat with her about Mind Magic healers.”

“And Harry?”

“I’ve been asked to take him,” said Tony. “I know you were first in line, but Sirius, you just spent over ten years in Azkaban. I’m impressed with how well you’re holding it together right now, but that isn’t going to last.”

Sirius sighed. “I know that. But you haven’t seen him, Tony. He needs help. He wanted to come live with me when I offered, even though he’d spent most of a year thinking I was going to murder him. I may be a little crazy, but I know that’s not normal.”

Tony’s mouth twisted in sympathy. “There’s a healing clinic here in Iceland that has a good rep. Let’s take you there, and when you’re well enough, and can come back to the UK, you are free to move in with us or to stay at your own place and visit all the time. Does that work for you?”

Sirius’ eyes brightened. “That’s more than I expected. Thanks.” Remus helped Sirius to his feet. “Where is this clinic?”

The Heimta Clinic turned out to be not far from their current location. Tony had been there once so he was able to Apparate the three of them. He got Sirius checked in, arranged for payment, and left Remus to help Sirius get settled. He Apparated home to Paddington House, and headed straight for his uncle’s office.

“I need to make a call,” he said. “You mind if I use your phone?”

“Not at all,” said Clive. “I take it your meeting was fruitful.”

“Very,” said Tony. “Now, if you’ll pardon me, I need to arrange for someone to arrest the ICW’s Supreme Mugwump.”

His uncle’s eyebrows went up, as they hadn’t expected to be able to make this call so soon, and he left Tony to it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony meets Harry.

**Hogwarts**

After breakfast on June 25th, Harry got one of the prefects to shrink and lighten his trunk so he could haul it to Gringotts without breaking his back. Once it was about the size of a suitcase, he carried it down to the entrance hall, and ran over to the Owlery to pick up Hedwig. He coaxed her into her cage with an Owl Treat, and promised her more as soon as he could get to the shops. He stroked her head and she leaned into his touch, begging to be scratched just behind her wings.

“Hey girl,” he murmured. “I think we might have a chance. Want to come on an adventure?”

She hooted softly and Harry broke into a smile. “Let’s go, then,” he said. He shut the cage door and carefully carried her back to the entrance hall, where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him. 

The entrance hall was full of the usual mess of everyone and their trunks and pets. The carriages outside pulled up, and Harry blinked in surprise. Each carriage was drawn by skeletal winged horses. He remembered last year that the carriages had been pulled by nothing. He blinked again. The horses were still there. He nudged Hermione. “Hey, do you see anything at the front of the carriages?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think it’s magic pulling them, exactly, because there’s some noise and the motion of the carriages isn’t smooth enough for just magic, but there are a few different kind of animals that are usually invisible, and some of them could pull carriages. Why do you ask?”

“Because I can see things there,” he said. “They look like skeleton horses with bat wings.”

Hermione squinched her eyes shut for a moment. “Thestrals,” she said. “They can only be seen by people who have witnessed death...oh, Harry.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why couldn’t I see them last year?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” said Hermione. “But well, what the Dementors make you remember, that was something that you only remembered in your unconscious mind before this. Now, though...”

Harry squared his shoulders. “Right,” he said. “That makes sense.”

“Hey, Ginny and I got a carriage,” Ron called. “Come on you, you guys!” 

Hermione and Harry exchanged looks, and Harry dropped Hermione’s hand so he could grab his trunk and Hedwig and her cage. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan squashed into the carriage as well, and the noise they managed to generate hid the way Harry stayed quiet for most of the ride to the train station. 

Ginny left the group to join her friends after they got on the train, and the twins and Lee had plans for the trip. Hermione, Ron, and Harry ended up in a compartment all to themselves. Ron fidgeted for a bit before the train left the station, and once it had, he hopped up. “I’m going to see if the food trolley’s making the rounds yet,” he said. “I still have some pocket money left over and I’m starving. Harry, want anything?”

“I’m good, thanks,” said Harry.

“Hermione?”

She handed him a Sickle. “Grab me a Cauldron Cake, please.”

Ron disappeared out the door and Hermione cast a swift Silencing Spell on the door. “Well?” she said.

“Well, what?” said Harry.

“Something’s going on with you, Harry, and I’m worried. Is it just the Dementors or having to say goodbye to Sirius, or is something else wrong?”

Harry slumped back in his seat. “It’s those, but it’s something else, too. I talked to Professor Lupin before he left. He said...he said that my parents hadn’t wanted me to go live with the Dursleys at all. There were guardianship documents that got blocked because my parents’ wills were sealed by the Wizengamot.”

“Why would they seal your parents’ wills?” Hermione asked. “That’s just...what if your relatives needed money to take care of you and couldn’t access what your parents left?”

Harry snorted. “I doubt I would have had any money left if they’d been able to access it,” he said. “Remus said the reason given at the time was to protect me and my interests from any Death Eaters who didn’t go to prison. But the guardianship stuff getting overlooked meant that there was someone who was supposed to take me if Sirius couldn’t, and he didn’t get to. He’s one of my dad’s cousins, and Remus was going to contact him, and we were going to meet at Gringotts today.”

“So you won’t have to live with the Dursleys anymore?” Hermione darted across the compartment and hugged him. “That’s wonderful, Harry!”

“I don’t know if it’s going to work out,” Harry said, awkwardly hugging Hermione back. He never knew how to respond to hugs. “I mean, he might not want me.”

Hermione pulled back. “I doubt that,” she said. “But just in case, here.” She dug a piece of parchment out of her bag and scribbled a few things on it. “If you get stuck, here’s my family’s phone number, and our address. My parents and I will come get you if you need somewhere to stay.”

“Thanks,” said Harry. He folded the parchment and slipped into his jeans pocket. 

“Did you want to tell Ron?” she asked. 

He shook his head. “I don’t want him to get in trouble with his mum and dad if someone asks them where I am. I’ll write to him once things are settled.”

Hermione frowned, but didn’t say anything. She remembered Ron saying that Professor Dumbledore could have forced the Minister to give Sirius an appeals trial, and Ron’s parents trusted the Headmaster. Hermione was finding herself much more skeptical of authority after all the research she’d done for Buckbeak’s trial, and the reading she’d done since Ron had given her the basic outline of the Ministry. She knew Harry had asked to stay at Hogwarts after first year and Dumbledore had said no. He never said much about his family, but what little he’d said, and what the twins had told her about rescuing Harry the summer after first year were adding up to a picture that made her afraid for her best friend. 

Ron came back a moment later, bearing food, and Hermione cancelled the Silencing Spell on the compartment. He talked Harry into a game of chess and since Cauldron Cakes had been on special for some reason, he’d bought several of them with Hermione’s money. She handed one to Harry, who had only picked at breakfast. He absently ate it while Ron trounced him at chess. 

************************************

 

Harry stumbled off the train. Fred caught his elbow. “Careful there,” he said. “Don’t want to face-plant on the platform.”

“Thanks,” said Harry gratefully.

“Not a problem,” said George, handing Harry’s shrunken trunk to him. “Hey, Professor Lupin’s over there!”

Harry felt a wave of relief. He waved at Remus, who waved back, and made his way through the crowd. “Hello, Harry,” he said. He looked at the twins. “Mister Weasley, Mister Weasley.”

“What are you doing here, Professor?” Fred asked.

“Harry needed to make a trip to Diagon Alley,” said Remus. “He asked me to get him there and home after, since he can’t Apparate yet.”

“Hedwig needs more Owl Treats for the summer,” said Harry at the twins’ speculative glances.

“No offense, sir,” said Fred.

“But why you?” George finished.

“Oh, I tutored Harry this year and taught him the Patronus Charm,” said Remus. “His father was one of my best friends, and it was nice to get to know Harry. When he was a baby he was mostly interested in pulling my hair, not asking me questions about Defense.”

Harry turned beet red. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Remus winked and picked up Harry’s trunk. “Oh, it’s forgiven,” said Remus. “I’m still making up my mind about the time you spit up on my good robes, though.” Harry waved goodbye to the twins and his friends and followed Remus to a quieter spot on the train platform.

“Have you Apparated before?” Remus asked.

“No,” said Harry. “Um, what is Apparating?”

Remus offered his arm to Harry. “Take my arm, and hold on tight to Hedwig. Apparating is what Muggles would call teleporting. It’s much more convenient than the Floo, but it’s not terribly comfortable.”

“Neither is the Floo,” said Harry.

“True,” Remus agreed. He carefully spun them and Harry felt like he had just been twisted inside-out.

He staggered when they arrived next to Gringotts and slid to the ground, still holding Hedwig’s cage. “I think I might be sick,” he said. 

“Breathe slowly through your mouth,” Remus suggested. 

Hedwig barked indignantly. Harry reached a finger through the bars of her cage and stroked her wing. “Sorry, girl,” he said. He got to his feet. “Where to?”

“We have an appointment,” said Remus. “This way.”

Harry followed Remus into the bank, and off to the side. A goblin opened a door for them and gestured them through, then directed them to the left. After a few twists and turns in unmarked hallways, the goblin opened a door. 

Remus and Harry walked into an office. Harry looked around, taking in the very ordinary appearance of the room. For some reason, he had expected a cavern, like the bank vaults. There was a goblin Harry did not recognize seated at the desk behind a stack of paperwork, and seated in front of the desk was a man who sprang to his feet once the door shut behind Harry and Remus. 

Harry looked at the man whom he was fairly sure was his cousin Tony. He was tall, with slightly tanned skin, light brown hair, and green eyes, and an open, friendly expression. Something about him told Harry that he could be very dangerous, but Harry wasn’t really sure what that was. He was dressed in Muggle clothes with an open robe thrown over the top. 

“Hi Harry,” he said, offering his hand. “I’m Tony.”

**********************************

Tony had been fidgeting in his seat for five minutes when Harry and Remus entered the room. He bounced to his feet and took in his cousin’s appearance. Harry looked very much like a young version of James – he had his father’s messy dark hair and big glasses. His skin was a few shades lighter, courtesy of his mother, and his eyes were still the same startling green as hers. But despite the hair and the glasses making him look like James, the wariness in his stance and expression was something Tony had never seen in James. Harry was still wearing his Hogwarts school robe, and underneath it, Tony could see the hems of baggy jeans and a battered pair of sneakers that looked too big for a kid who was so small and scrawny. He knew Harry was almost fourteen, but he doubted he would have assumed he was older than eleven.

Tony offered his hand to Harry, who cautiously shook it. “Hi,” he said. 

“Did you want to sit down?” Tony asked, gesturing to one of the chairs. 

Harry went to the chair without comment and sat down. 

“Take a seat, Remus,” said Tony. 

“Are you sure I should be here?” Remus asked. 

Tony gently shoved Remus in the direction of the chair closest to Harry. “Yup. Out of all the people in this room, you know Harry best, so you should be here. Harry, this is Vindalf, the Potter Accounts Manager.”

Harry stood and bowed. “Thank you for meeting with me, Vindalf. May your enemies quail before you.”

Vindalf nodded in acknowledgement. “And may yours fall at your feet, young Potter.”

Harry glanced to Remus, who smiled. He had drilled Harry on the proper method of greeting goblins before he had left Hogwarts. Harry’s greeting, though short, was appropriate. 

“Now, what is needed today?” Vindalf asked.

Harry gulped and looked at Tony. “Well, um, I found out that my aunt and uncle weren’t supposed to be the ones to take me if my parents died, and Remus said Tony might be on the list...”

“He is indeed,” said Vindalf. He offered a paper to Harry. “As you can see, your parents designated your godfather and godmother first. As Sirius Black is currently wanted by the Ministry, he is not an eligible guardian. Alice Longbottom was your godmother, but she is now physically incapable of caring for a child.”

“Neville’s mum?” said Harry. “I didn’t know his mum was still alive.”

“She’s in the long-term care ward at St. Mungo’s, the wizard hospital,” Remus explained. “She and her husband Frank were nearly killed by Death Eaters when Neville was a baby and haven’t recovered. That’s why Neville’s grandmother raised him.”

“Oh,” said Harry. “He’s never said anything about his mum and dad, I just sort of assumed they were dead. I didn’t know his mum was my godmother.”

“She and your mother were very close friends,” said Tony. “Sirius was your dad’s best friend, and Alice was your mum’s, so they thought they’d be the perfect choice for godparents. Your mum and dad were Neville’s godparents.”

Vindalf cleared his throat. “The third person on the list was Anthony Paddington DiNozzo, your father’s second cousin. As requested, we have contacted him.”

“And here I am,” said Tony. “I tried to get in touch after your parents died. Albus Dumbledore told me you were in hiding with your guardian, and gave me a post box number to write to. I’ve been sending you letters for years, but he told me that you might not be able to write back. I figured it was something like Witness Protection, and that you were with Sirius. When I got here a few days ago, I checked with my aunt and uncle. They were told the same thing, but their memories surrounding Sirius’ arrest were obscured, so they wouldn’t tell me. If I’d known you’d been dumped with Petunia, I would have been over here to rescue you as soon as possible.”

“So, you’ll be my guardian?” Harry asked.

“Of course,” said Tony. “Although you may want to look this over first.” He handed Harry a folder. 

Harry opened it and looked at the sheaf of papers inside. “What’s this for?”

“Background check,” said Vindalf crisply. “Mr. DiNozzo requested that Gringotts run a thorough check on him to determine his suitability as your guardian. While the magical world does tend to favour couples, rather than single parents, Mr. DiNozzo has an excellent record, is in good health, and is financially stable. His job comes with some risks, but he has indicated that he is willing to transfer or change jobs entirely should it become necessary. Given that he is also related to you and was named as a guardian by your parents, Gringotts is able to finalize the guardianship agreement today if you so desire.”

“I get a choice?” Harry asked.

“Children of age to attend school for magical training are permitted some say over their living arrangements,” said Vindalf. 

“Oh,” said Harry. “Then, I want you to be my guardian.”

“Okay,” said Tony. “I am happy to be your guardian. And look, I know I live in the States right now, but I can relocate here for the next few years, or if you want, you can transfer to an American school. You don’t have to do that, though, and it’s not a decision I expect you to make right away. I don’t want to pull you away from your friends at Hogwarts if you’re happy there. I’m a dual citizen so it’s easy enough for me to live here. You still sure?”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “And thanks. I hadn’t really thought about that part at all.”

“That’s my job,” said Tony. “Your job is to be a kid and go to school and figure out what you want to be when you grow up. So, there’s some paperwork first. We’ve got it mostly filled out, but I want you to read through it so you’ll know exactly what I’ve promised to do. Then we both sign it, Vindalf witnesses it, and then I’m going to make a magical vow. Sound good?”

Harry nodded. Vindalf handed him another sheaf of paper. Tony watched as Harry read through it and then reached for a quill. He signed his name at the marked places, then handed the quill and papers to Tony, who also signed, and then passed the documents to Vindalf, who signed last. 

“Stand and take your guardian’s hands,” Vindalf instructed. Harry found himself standing in front of Tony, holding hands. “Mr. DiNozzo?”

“I, Anthony Paddington DiNozzo, do solemnly swear on magic to take on the guardianship of Harry James Potter. I swear to care for him as if he were a child of my own blood, to protect him and his interests, to provide for his needs, to educate him, and to raise him to adulthood. So mote it be!” A golden glow had built around Tony’s and Harry’s joined hands as he made the vow, and it flashed brightly once before fading away. 

“I, Vindalf of the clan of Thekk, do so witness this vow and declare it valid.” The goblin stamped the bottom of the guardianship documents with a seal. “Did you wish authenticated copies to be filed with the Ministry?”

Tony, who had released Harry’s hands, said, “Not yet. I’d like to at least get Sirius Black’s problems sorted out before Harry’s new custody arrangement goes public.”

“Sirius is okay?” Harry blurted.

“He is,” said Tony. “He’s currently undergoing mental and physical healing at clinic in a country with does not have an extradition agreement with Magical Britain. I’ve filed an injunction with the court of the International Confederation of Wizards to get the charges against him dismissed, and then our solicitor will be suing the Ministry of Magic for wrongful imprisonment. Once he’s officially free and the clinic healers think he’s well enough, he’ll come stay with us.” 

“Really?” said Harry. “That’s...that’s...thank you!”

“It might be as much as a year until he’s well enough,” Tony cautioned. “We will visit him this summer, and at Christmas, but he might need to stay at the clinic for quite a while. Azkaban is not a healthy place.”

Harry nodded. “That’s okay. I’m just glad he’s safe. Is that everything?”

“Just a few more things, and we can get going,” said Tony. “First, have you ever received an accounts statement from Gringotts?”

“No,” said Harry.

“Any correspondence from the bank at all?”

Harry shook his head. “I never got any mail at all until my Hogwarts letter arrived, and after that I’ve gotten a few letters from my friends at school, but nothing else.”

“Then we’ll want a full audit done on the Potter accounts,” said Tony to Vindalf. “Please address it to Harry and me through the secure correspondence box at Paddington House. I also want an investigation done on the Dursleys. They’ve illegally had custody of Harry since he was one and I want to know how that slipped through both magical and mundane monitoring agencies. Please select the most suitable team from your private investigators and bill my account.”

Harry cleared his throat. “You don’t have to do that,” he said.

“Yes, actually, he does,” said Remus, who had remained quiet since they had arrived. “If someone is circumventing proper procedure in the case of children who are fostered or placed with guardians who are not their biological parents, we need to know, because there could be other cases. Whoever did that committed a crime, Harry, and they need to be held to account.”

“It’s just, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” said Harry.

“Harry, we’ll keep you out of it as much as we can,” said Tony. “I’m not asking you to testify against the Dursleys. The charge of illegal custody doesn’t require you to do that. I will do my utmost to make sure you never have to see them again. I promise.”

Harry looked at Remus and Tony, who both seemed sincere. Vindalf’s expression was bored, but somehow Harry felt like the goblin was deeply interested in the conversation and just pretending to be bored.

“Okay,” said Tony. “I think we need to get home and get some food in you, Harry. Did you eat lunch on the train?”

“I had a Cauldron Cake,” said Harry.

“Excellent choice, but not exactly filling,” said Tony. “Come on. I have a house elf who loves to feed people to introduce you to. Vindalf, we thank you for your time and your discretion. May your gold always increase.”

“May your coffers overflow,” Vindalf returned. 

Tony took Harry’s trunk from Remus and navigated the twisting corridors with ease. They arrived at a large fireplace. “This is a private Floo that certain customers are permitted to use,” he explained to Harry. “Remus, what were your plans?”

“I was going to make myself scarce for now,” he said. “I hear Iceland is lovely in the summer.”

“Excellent hiking,” Tony agreed. “You know how to contact us.”

Remus shook Tony’s hand, and then knelt in front of Harry. “Write to me if you need anything that I can help with,” he said, squeezing Harry’s shoulders.

“Thanks, Remus,” said Harry. He blinked away a few tears. 

Remus stood, took a pinch of Floo powder, and shouted a destination that Harry didn’t recognize. He vanished in the green flames.

Tony took his wand out of his sleeve and cast a quick spell. “We’re heading somewhere that has a password on the Floo. You won’t need it once you’ve been keyed into the wards, but I can’t bring you through without it this time. You’re going to step into the flames with me and hold on, okay?”

Harry clutched Hedwig’s cage tightly as Tony tossed in a large pinch of Floo powder. He followed Tony into the green flames, grabbed his arm, and listened as Tony said, “Paddington House, _non ducor, duco_!”

The flames rushed up around them and they were spit out on a thick grey hearthrug in an entryway of what appeared to be a very nice, very large house.

“Welcome to Paddington House,” said Tony. “We’re home.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry arrives at Paddington House.

**Paddington House**

Harry took in the golden brown carpets, the wooden paneling, and the light coming in through multiple skylights. The entryway indicated a large house, and the multiple staircases leading off in different directions bore that out. “This is your _house_?”

“Technically, it’s my aunt and uncle’s house, but anyone from the Paddington extended family is welcomed here. That includes you, by the way,” said Tony. “Right now just Uncle Clive, Aunt Huang, their son Crispian, and the house elf, Lizbet, live here. I have a suite that’s considered mine since I used to stay here during the summers when I was a kid and I try to visit when I can. Most of the extended family lives over on the continent, and there’s a few of us in New Zealand. There used to be more of us, but the Paddingtons were a popular target for Voldemort during the war.” He glanced down at Harry, and pointed towards the stairs that led to the family rooms.

“This way,” he said. “We’ve given you a room next door to me for now, but if you decide you like one of the other unoccupied rooms better, you’re welcome to switch.”

Harry followed Tony up the stairs, around a few corners, and to a hallway that had about half a dozen doors opening onto. “This is my suite,” Tony said, tapping one door. “Crispian’s is across the hall, right there. Huang and Clive have the master suite, the one at the end of the hallway. And this one is yours.” He opened the door next to his to reveal a bedroom that was nearly the same size as his dorm room at Hogwarts. 

Tony set Harry’s trunk down and did something with his wand to cancel out the shrinking and lightening spells. The trunk bounced back to its normal size. Hedwig hooted. “Oh, she’s got a spot over here,” he said. There was an owl perch, food and water dishes, and a sandbox next one of the windows. “Bring her over and I’ll show her how to get in and out.”

Harry opened the cage door and Hedwig flew out and landed on the perch. She shuffled around on it and settled down once she decided it met her standards. 

“What’s her name?” Tony asked.

“Hedwig,” said Harry. “I named her after someone in my History of Magic book, right before I started at Hogwarts.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful lady,” said Tony, holding an arm out to Hedwig. She eyed him and then fluttered to land on his sleeve. “Hedwig, if you peck this tile here, the window will open for you. It will close automatically after you go out. There’s a corresponding one on the other side so you can get back in.” Hedwig tapped the tile, the window vanished, and she flew through. The window reappeared. She whirled around, landed on the perch placed just outside the window, and tapped on the outside tile. She landed on Harry’s shoulder and barked her approval.

“Excellent,” said Tony. “There is an owlery on the property, and we do have a few owls and other birds there. If you get lonely for avian companionship, you’re welcome to visit there.” He offered her a treat from one of the food bowls.

She hooted and delicately took the treat from his fingers. Harry carefully transferred her to her perch and watched as she ate.

“Thank you,” said Harry. “She has to stay in the Owlery at school, and the Dursleys hated her being out.”

Tony ruffled Harry’s hair. “She’s your familiar, Harry. We’re not going to shut her outside or coop her up in a cage here.”

“My what?” said Harry.

Tony blinked. “Don’t tell me they’ve stopped covering that topic at Hogwarts.”

“I’m not sure I can do that because I don’t think I’ve heard the word before.”

“Well,” said Tony, “a familiar is a creature who develops a magical bond with a magician. Owls and cats are common familiars, as are snakes, but other animals can be familiars as well. One of my friends back in DC has a chinchilla familiar. I have something called mage sight, which lets me see magic, and you and Hedwig definitely have a familiar bond. She’ll be even smarter than a normal post owl because of that connection you two have.”

Harry smiled and stroked Hedwig’s head. “Hear that, girl? I knew you seemed smarter than the other owls.”

“So, what do you think?” Tony asked, gesturing around the room.

Harry looked around and took in the warm neutral colours, the bed that was definitely more modern than the one at Hogwarts, the desk and bookcase, the fireplace with a couple armchairs beside it, and the wardrobe, and grinned. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem,”said Tony. “Bathroom’s over here,” he said, opening a door Harry hadn’t noticed right away. “Lizbet picked out toiletries for you since we figured you’d be running low by the end of the school year.”

“I mostly use the ones the school has,” said Harry. He looked in the bathroom, which was definitely nicer than the one at the Dursleys’ house. 

“Did you want to unpack now, or do you want to see more of the house?” Tony asked. “I’m happy to help.”

“Do I have to wear robes and stuff here or can I dress in regular clothes?” Harry asked. “Ron’s family seems to wear a mix of robes and Muggle clothes at home, but everyone on Diagon Alley wears robes.”

“Whichever you prefer,” said Tony. “Uncle Clive usually only wears robes when he goes into magical areas, Aunt Huang is fond of robes, but prefers the Chinese-style ones, which look a bit different from the ones here, and Crispian wears healer’s robes at work and non-magical clothes here. I only have robes for when I’m visiting them, since they’re not very popular in the States.”

Harry shrugged out of his school robe and took it over to the wardrobe to hang it up. Tony eyed Harry’s baggy, stained t-shirt and jeans and made a decision. “I think we should go into the town nearby tomorrow and pick up some new clothes for you. Those look worn out.”

Harry’s shoulders hunched slightly as he settled his robe around the hanger. “They’re fine,” he said. “Aunt Petunia said they had plenty of wear left in them when Dudley outgrew them.”

“Whether that was true or not, Harry, they don’t fit you well, and you don’t really like them, do you?” 

He stared into the mostly empty wardrobe. “No one says anything about them, so they’re fine.” His fingers clenched on the fabric of the robe.

Tony cleared his throat. “Right. You do remember that I just vowed on my magic to provide for your needs, don’t you? That includes clothing, and you definitely need new clothes.”

“But...I mean, I don’t want to be a burden like I was at the Dursleys...” 

“You’re not a burden, Harry,” said Tony seriously. He really, really hoped that the investigators from Gringotts would find a lot of things they could charge the Dursleys with. “If I couldn’t care for you, I would have found someone else who could. I have a job, and my mother and my grandfather each left me a very decent trust fund. I have the money to buy you new clothes without it feeling like a burden. I could buy you an entire designer wardrobe and still be stable financially, though I doubt you really want me to dress you in Gucci and Armani.” At Harry’s puzzled look, he added, “Those are high-end mundane clothing designers. I really like designer clothing, but it’s also important for me to look professional at work, so I wear a lot of suits. You, on the other hand, probably want jeans, t-shirts, some dress shirts and trousers, and shorts. Mostly casual clothes but a few nicer things if necessary. We can get those two miles down the road.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked.

“Yes, I’m very sure,” said Tony. “I also know how to shop on a budget, so even if I did have less money, I’d still be able to afford to buy you clothes that are better than your cousin’s hand-me-downs. Okay?”

Harry carefully closed the wardrobe door. “Okay,” he agreed. “Um, if we’re going into town tomorrow, could we find a phone while we’re there? My friend Hermione knew I was meeting you today and I wanted to tell her that it worked out.”

“You know, we do have a phone here,” said Tony. “Multiple phones, actually, since all of us have mobiles.”

“Those can work around magic?” Harry’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Everyone at school told me electronics and magic don’t mix!”

“Oh, they don’t unless you ward and insulate your electronics properly, but that’s not as hard as you’d think. Aunt Huang’s a spellcrafter and designing ways to make magic and technology work together is her specialty. The Ministry won’t certify her work for distribution here, but her spells are extremely popular on the continent and in the States. We’ve got phones, electric lights,” here he flicked the light switch off and on, “a television, computers, CD players, loads of stuff. Let’s go downstairs and I’ll show you Uncle Clive’s study. The landline’s hooked up in there.”

“It’s okay if I call Hermione?”

“Absolutely,” said Tony. “This way!” He pointed back down the hall the way they had come. “So, for reference, guest rooms and junk like that are down that hallway.” He gestured off to the left. “This place is kind of a maze until you get used to it. Your dad and Crispian and I used to try play hide and seek when we were kids and we always ended up calling the game off because James and I would get lost or Crispian would hide too well.”

“I’d never heard of you or Crispian before last week. Professor Lupin – I mean, Remus – didn’t even tell me he knew my dad until pretty late in the school year.” Harry paused. “I have a photo album that Hagrid gave me, with pictures of my parents, and I recognize you from the wedding photos and stuff, but most of the pictures weren’t labeled.”

“To be fair, James didn’t spend as much time with us during the summers after he started Hogwarts. I went to school in the States, of course, and Crispian opted for Beauxbatons.”

“Beauxbatons?”

Tony noted another gap in Harry’s education. He considered quoting Professor Kirk from the Narnia books but instead settled for saying, “It’s one of the magical schools on the continent. It’s in southern France and most of the students tend to be French, Swiss, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese. A handful of British students go there. One of the branches of the Paddington family is Swiss, and Crispian decided he wanted to get to know them better.” Tony stared off into the distance for a moment. “It probably saved his life once the war started in earnest. Voldemort had followers on the continent but most of the war was contained to Britain. Crispian did his training as a healer in Switzerland.”

He headed down a set of stairs and Harry followed. “This opens out near Uncle Clive’s study and the library. You are free to help yourself to anything from the library. The problematic magical texts are in a secure room so you don’t have to worry about getting yourself into trouble with them. The magical section has books that will be above your current skill level, so don’t try out any spells without checking with one of us first. If you cast something too powerful when you aren’t prepared for it, you might overextend yourself. Magical exhaustion is no fun.”

Tony knocked on the door of his uncle’s study, waited for him to say, “Enter!” and opened the door. 

“Uncle Clive, this is Harry,” said Tony. 

Clive offered a hand to Harry to shake. Harry carefully took his hand and Tony noted the way Harry eyed Clive. Tony looked at his uncle, who was dressed, as he usually was, in a comfortable jumper and trousers. The clothes were high-quality, but obviously not new. Like Tony, Clive only bothered with robes when he had to. He had left his wand on the desk. His hairstyle was more mundane than magical. 

“So, Harry needs to use your phone,” said Tony. “Did you need it right now?”

“Not at all,” said Clive. “I’ve finished my yelling at people over the phone for the day.”

“Which company is it this time?” Tony asked.

“Some idiot at the woollen mill thinks it’s perfectly fine to violate both the law and company policy to cut a few corners when it comes to dye disposal,” said Clive. “I told him that if he’s so eager to live in an even more polluted environment, I’d be happy to toss him into the river that he wants to contaminate. Then I fired him and called one of the regulators in to do an audit. I’ve been moving the mill over to more ecologically friendly dyes in stages but I think it’s time to just make the leap entirely.” He looked down at Harry. “Sorry, I forget that not everyone wants to hear about work.” He picked up the phone and offered it to Harry.

“It’s fine,” said Harry. “Thanks.” He took the phone, extracted a piece of paper from his pocket, and dialled. 

“Granger residence,” said a woman’s voice. Clive had left the phone on speaker. Tony gestured toward the phone, offering to reset it for Harry, but Harry shook his head.

“Hi, um, is Hermione there?” asked Harry.

“Yes, one moment. Who is calling?”

“It’s Harry. Potter.”  
“Oh, Harry,” said Mrs. Granger. “Are you all right? Are you safe?”

“Yeah, I’m at my cousin’s. I just wanted to tell Hermione, so she wouldn’t worry.”

“Of course,” she said. “One moment. Hermione, telephone!”

Hermione picked up a moment later. “Harry?”

“Hey, Hermione. So, you were right,” Harry said.

“Of course I was,” said Hermione. “Did you get things settled?”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “Cousin Tony’s my guardian now, and we’re staying at his aunt and uncle’s, cause they have a big house.”

“That’s wonderful, Harry,” said Hermione. “Can I get the address so I can write to you?”

Tony cleared his throat. “Miss Granger, this is Harry’s cousin Tony. We’ve got a few legal proceedings in progress that mean we’d like to keep Harry’s location private for now. We can give you the phone number here, but the actual address is something we’d like kept quiet, just in case someone shows up to ask you questions. We’ll get it to you as soon as we can. Do you have access to email?”

“I have an address, but I don’t use it much,” said Hermione.

“If you’ll give us that, I’ll help Harry get one set up and then you two can write to each other or instant message. If your family has a microphone for the computer we can set up voice chat options, too.”

“That would be great,” said Hermione. “I don’t think we have a microphone right now but I think we can probably get one. I don’t mind using the phone, though.”

“We just have the one landline here,” said Tony, “and it gets used for work pretty frequently. But you can call it. I’ll give you my mobile number but it’s an American number so you probably won’t want to call it unless it’s an emergency.”

“She can have my mobile number, and Huang’s,” said Clive. “Oh, I’m Tony’s uncle Clive, so I am also Harry’s cousin. We’re local so you won’t have international fees if you call us.”

“Really?” said Harry. “Thanks so much.” 

“Let me get something to write all of these numbers down with,” said Hermione. “Harry, I thought we might talk over our summer homework since you’ll actually get a chance to do it properly this year.”

“That would be great,” said Harry. 

“We can also sort out a visit,” said Tony. “Harry and I can come over to yours and meet your parents, and perhaps you can come over here, too.”

“Really?” said Hermione. “I’d love that. No one from school has wanted to come over to my house.”

“I did,” Harry protested.

“But the Dursleys wouldn’t let you come,” said Hermione. “Oh, sorry. Here, let me give you my email address.”

After the exchange of emails and phone numbers, Harry and Hermione said goodbye. 

“Anyone else you need to call?”

Harry shook his head. “Hermione’s the only person I told about this. I didn’t want Ron getting in trouble with his family about it, and they’re really the only people I would tell, and they don't have a phone.”

“I think we should see if supper’s ready,” said Clive. “I forgot lunch today, I was so busy with work.”

“Lizbet is going to scold you,” said Tony.

“As she should,” said Clive. “Come, young Harry. Growing boy like you will need to know the way to the kitchen.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know the Paddington family.

**Paddington House**

“So, you said your aunt and cousin lived here, too?” Harry asked.

“Yes,” said Tony. “Aunt Huang is at a meeting she couldn’t cancel. In Italy. She’ll be home sometime tonight. And Crispian had something come up with one of his patients.”

“He texted a while ago to say that he should be home for supper,” Clive offered. “I’m sorry we weren’t all here to meet you right away, but Huang couldn’t rearrange her schedule, unfortunately.”

“It’s okay,” said Harry. “I don’t mind.”

Tony thought Harry appreciated not being overwhelmed by everyone. “And this is the kitchen,” he announced. “Lizbet, Harry’s here.”

Lizbet bounced over from stove, wiping her hands on her apron as she did. Harry started. He stared at the elf’s tidy uniform. Tony suddenly remembered magical Britain’s habit of dressing house elves in tea towels. “Young Master Harry,” said Lizbet. 

Harry offered her a hand, and she shook it. Then she blinked. “Oh, that bad wizard stopped me from getting to you! I remembers now!”

“Lizbet?” said Clive. “Are you sure?” They hadn’t been able to check her for Memory Charms because, while Memory Charms worked on house elves, Legilimency did not. 

“Of course I being sure,” she said, stamping her foot. “I tell Hogwarts elves to put itching powder in his underwear.”

Tony glanced at his watch. “The ICW should have called him into an emergency meeting right about now,” he said. “They were going to arrest him there. You might have to wait on the itching powder. Can you tell me what you remember?”

“Young Master Harry was in trouble. I go to find him and the wards keep me out. I go home to see Master Clive and Mistress Huang and Dumbledore be there. He did something with a Memory Charm. But seeing Master Harry breaks the charm.” She looked at Harry. “I so sorry I not able to help then. But now I help. Sit.” She gestured to the table in the kitchen. “Food nearly ready.”

Harry sat, shakily. “Why would you come to help me?”

“You are family,” said Lizbet simply. “I have connection with all Paddingtons.”

Clive cleared his throat. “Lizbet helped Lily and James look after you during the first couple months after you were born, Harry. The Potter family elves were killed by Voldemort when he attacked and killed your grandparents. Lily and James barely escaped and came here. You...you were actually born here, since we didn’t think it was safe to take Lily to St. Mungo’s.”

“I was?” 

“Yes,” said Tony. “And there’s a good chance you would have grown up here if Dumbledore hadn’t shown up and Obliviated the family.”

Harry clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles went white. “You said he’s getting arrested?”

“I have the ICW throwing the book at him,” said Tony. “I spent the week gathering evidence and putting it in the hands of someone I trust. At the very least, he will lose his positions with the ICW and the Ministry, and hopefully with Hogwarts as well, assuming he doesn’t get sent to jail.” Tony grinned. “If he doesn’t end up in jail, we’ll be suing the pants off him. Hell, even if he ends up in jail, we might sue him, just for fun.” 

The wards pinged. “Ah, Crispian’s home,” said Clive. 

Lizbet started setting food on the table. She smacked Tony’s hand with a wooden spoon when he tried to help. “You do your job, I does mine,” she told him. 

Crispian wandered into the kitchen, still in his green healer’s robes. He hauled them off and draped them over a chair before he realized Harry was in the room. “Ah, I see everything went smoothly at the bank, then?” he said. “Unless you just kidnapped him?”

“No kidnapping on my part,” said Tony. “And yes, I am officially Harry’s guardian, paperwork, magical vows and all.”

“Excellent,” said Crispian. He bowed towards Harry. “I’d offer to shake your hand but I think I need to scrub mine clean again.”

“Oh?” said Clive. “All you told me was ‘emergency with a patient’ before you rocketed off.”

Crispian went to the kitchen sink and started scrubbing his hands clean. “I did the normal wash and cleansing spell before I left, but one of my younger patients got into his parents’ potions cabinet and there was a terrifying amount of vomit.”

Tony grimaced. “We’re just about to eat, Crispian.”

“Dad asked,” said Crispian. “Blame him.”

“Oh, I will,” said Tony.

“Table, sit,” ordered Lizbet. “Master Crispian, you finish washing.” She pointed at his robes and they vanished. “Those are going to laundry.”

Crispian dried his hands with an air blowing charm and joined the family at the table. Lizbet levitated a pot of soup to the table and took her own seat. She eyed Clive, who started serving and passing plates around.

Harry waited for everyone else before he started eating. When he finished his food, Lizbet insisted on him having seconds. Crispian and Clive chatted a bit about their respective jobs while Tony ate and tossed in the occasional comment. 

“Oh, how’s Jethro?” Crispian asked. 

Tony shrugged. “We talked for a few minutes last night but he was in the middle of wrapping up a case so he didn’t have a lot of time.”

“Who’s Jethro?” Harry asked, the first thing he’d said since he’d started eating.

“My partner,” said Tony.

Harry’s brow furrowed. “Like at work?”

“Well, yes, but also partner like my boyfriend,” said Tony, wondering what Harry’s reaction was going to be.

“That’s okay?” he asked, eyes growing big.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Clive asked. 

Harry looked down at his plate. “Uncle Vernon said it was unnatural. And no one at Hogwarts has ever said anything about it.”

“Is Vernon the sort of person to think a lot of things are unnatural?” Clive inquired.

“Yeah,” said Harry. “Magic, me, people who aren’t British, curry...” His voice trailed off. “I mean, I know he’s wrong about most stuff, but I just didn’t know about this one.”

“Oh, plenty of people think it’s unnatural,” said Tony. “That’s not unique to your uncle. But the magical world, for all its weirdness about blood purity, is pretty relaxed when it comes to same-sex relationships. We have a few people who dislike it, and sometimes kids who are raised in the mundane world have a bit of trouble adjusting to a different viewpoint, but since magicals can use blood-adoption to adopt a child and have them become magically their child, and more powerful couples can create a biological child using a ritual, the normal objections aren’t really valid. Plus most magical people skip the Christian thing because of the Burning Times.” He shuddered at that thought, as did Clive and Crispian. “Anyway, Jethro and I have been together for nearly two years. I was hoping that this next week we could get your passport sorted and head over to the States so you could meet him and we could figure out what’s happening with where we’re going to live.”

“He doesn’t mind me coming with you?” 

Tony shook his head. “Not at all. He’s looking forward to meeting you.” Lizbet set a pie on the table. “Okay, dessert time!”

Harry slowly ate his pie, thinking over everything Tony had just told him. Crispian watched Harry with a professional gaze, and then made eye contact with Tony. Tony nodded.

“Harry, would you object if I ran a few health scans on you?” Crispian asked. “There are some magical vaccines you should have had in early childhood that you would have missed, and Hogwarts isn’t always good about letting mundane-raised kids know they need to catch up on them. And you’re a bit on the skinny side, so I wanted to see if there’s vitamins or anything you need.”

Harry looked to Tony. “He’s perfectly safe,” Tony assured him. “He knows what he’s doing. You need to see a healer for a check-up anyway, since we don’t have copies of your medical records on hand.”

The boy nodded. “Okay. I don’t think I have medical records, though. What do I do?”

“Just stand up for me here,” said Crispian, summoning a notebook. He took out his wand and started a careful incantation. He noted how Harry stood stiffly, as if expecting it to hurt. “You haven’t had one of these before?”

“I don’t think so,” said Harry. “I’ve been in the infirmary at school a few times but not for check-ups. I mean, unless Madam Pomfrey did this while I was unconscious.”

Crispian pursed his lips. “Tony, mind writing things down for me?”

“Not at all,” said Tony, pulling a pen out of his pocket and grabbing the notebook. He looked at the runic readout that glowed in the air next to Harry and started writing. 

“I see you’ve had a broken arm that was regrown?” said Crispian. 

“I fell off my broom during a Quidditch match and it broke. The Defense professor tried to fix it and he vanished my bones instead. I had to have Skelegro,” said Harry.

Crispian snorted. “Sounds like your teacher was an idiot.”

“Oh, he was,” said Harry. 

“Hmmm,” said Crispian. “I’m picking up traces of phoenix tears in your system. What was that from?”

Tony listened, horrified, as Crispian carefully asked Harry questions, first about things that happened at school, and then about events that occurred at the Dursleys. He copied down the information and Harry’s elaborations dutifully. Clive quietly excused himself before they finished. 

The runic array blinked and showed some disturbing things when Crispian got to Harry’s scar. Tony recognized the signature from a case he had dealt with just last year. He had had to call in a specialist in healing black magic, and the victim in that case had been under specialized medical care for months afterwards. 

“Does your scar ever hurt?” Crispian asked.

“Yeah,” said Harry. “In my first year at Hogwarts, it hurt whenever I was around Professor Quirrell. It turned out Voldemort was possessing him, and that’s why. Professor Dumbledore said it was because my mother left a magical protection on me and reacted in Voldemort’s presence because he was my enemy.”

“Interesting,” said Crispian. “I do see protective magic on you, and it does match what I remember of Lily’s magical signature. It’s formed a shell around the magical residue of the curse in your scar.”

“Really?” said Harry.

“Yes,” said Tony. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. His mage sight would be more detailed if he focused. He’d noticed something off about Harry’s scar when they met, but had chosen to wait to address it. He opened his eyes. “Yes, I can see that. Lily’s protective spell looks like it’s mostly invested in keeping the black magic residue dormant. Otherwise it might be causing problems and making you sick. We can purge it entirely, but it’ll have to be done in ritual.”

Crispian nodded his agreement. “You’ve got some issues due to chronic malnourishment,” he stated. “I’d like to get you up to a healthier level before we do the ritual. It’s going to make you feel like you’ve been run over by a lorry as it is; we don’t want to make it worse.”

“Malnourishment?” said Harry. “I know I didn’t get a lot to eat at the Dursleys, but it wasn’t that bad, was it?”

“Wizards, especially juvenile ones, need more calories than mundanes,” said Crispian. “Magical cores burn a lot of energy.” He tapped Harry’s glasses with his wand. “I can fix your eyesight with a potion, but it’ll take a while to brew. In the meantime, I can adjust these so they’ll be a better fit. I’ll have a set of nutrient and healing potions for you to start on tomorrow, and I’ll pick up vaccinations from my office to bring home on Monday.”

Harry blinked. “That is a lot better,” he said. “I didn’t realize just how blurry things had gotten.”

“At your age, your eyes are growing and changing all the time. It’s really best to have your eyes checked yearly. Did your aunt and uncle take you to the optometrist frequently?”

“No,” said Harry. “My school said I needed glasses when they did the yearly checks and Aunt Petunia got some glasses from a charity bin for me.”

Tony made a note to charge the Dursleys with medical neglect as well as child abuse. 

“I think we’re done for now,” said Crispian. He took the notebook from Tony. “I’m going to go through this and put together a proper chart for you, and then see about the potions regimen.”

“I was thinking of watching a movie,” said Tony. “You don’t want to join us?”

Crispian yawned. “No. Charting, list of potions, hot bath, sleep. You two have fun.”

“Have a good night, then,” said Tony. “Lizbet, did you need help with anything?”

Lizbet, who was wiping down the countertops, shook her head. “I be done for the day. If you wants popcorn or snacks, you knows where they are.”

“I do indeed,” said Tony. “Harry, what kind of movies do you like?”

“I don’t really know,” said Harry. “The Dursleys wouldn’t let me watch stuff with them. Mrs. Figg, who babysat me sometimes, she would sometimes let me watch television, but I’ve never gotten to see a whole movie all the way through.”

“Anything you’ve wanted to watch?” Tony asked. “We have a pretty extensive library here.”

“Well, there was this one that Dudley wanted to watch and Aunt Petunia wouldn’t let him because she said it was unnatural and evil.”

“What was it called?”

“ _Star Wars_.” 

Tony paused. “Harry, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

**************************************************************

Harry headed off to bed after they finished watching _Star Wars: A New Hope_ , with the promise of watching the rest of the trilogy the next day. He had loved the movie. He had told Tony that the Force was too much like magic for his aunt to have approved of it, and he thought it was brilliant. Tony had enjoyed watching Harry experience _Star Wars_ for the first time, and started a mental list of movies to watch with him. _The Princess Bride_ was the next one after they finished _Star Wars_. To his chagrin, Harry had spotted the two prequel movies on the shelf and asked about them. He cursed Crispian’s weakness for Ewan McGregor, but sitting through the prequels was a small price to pay for the excitement on Harry’s face, even if he had to track down a theater still showing the third one.

Tony checked the time and meandered off towards the potions lab in the back of the house. Crispian had left a list of potions to be completed, and he had time to brew a couple before he could call Jethro. He hummed to himself as he worked, losing himself for a bit in the routine of ingredient preparation and stirring rhythms. He felt the wards ping as Huang arrived home. 

She showed up in the potions lab half an hour later. “Well?” she asked.

“He’s here,” said Tony. “I am officially his legal guardian.”

Huang glanced at his brewing. “I take it that Remus’ suspicions regarding his previous guardians were correct?”

“And then some,” said Tony, adding a pinch of ground herbs to one of the cauldrons. “Long-term malnutrition issues, history of cracked and broken bones, at least two concussions, and the school nurse never caught any of it. I have to take him shopping tomorrow because the only decent clothes he has are his school robes. Everything else is worn-out hand-me-downs from his cousin, who is at least twice his size.”

“I’m surprised you’re not in the basement setting things on fire,” said Huang, leaning against the potions bench.

Tony shook his head. “Tempting, but mostly I want to go down to the firing range and empty a few rounds into a dummy. This is more constructive.” He finished stirring one potion and moved it off the flame to cool. “Auntie, he has spell damage from black magic. The only reason it hasn’t destroyed him is that protective spell Lily was researching when I last saw her. It’s been there since his parents died. And I know that Dumbledore saw him then, and he’s enough of an expert to detect black magic.”

“He left it there,” said Huang, bristling. “In a defenceless child, whom he dumped with a family who didn’t want him.”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “My friend Erik texted me a couple hours ago. He’s in custody. Preliminary questioning has confirmed that he’ll be losing his position with the ICW and the Ministry, and he’s going to be charged with kidnapping a minor child of a noble family, which should be enough to get him some jail time. I hope.”

“No statute of limitations on kidnapping, I see,” said Huang.

“Nope,” said Tony. “Not in this country. Pretty sure we can also get accessory to child abuse, child endangerment, and a few other things that, if he manages to walk, will get him fired from Hogwarts.”

“Good,” said Huang. “I see you aren’t optimistic about conviction.”

Tony shrugged. “He’s well-regarded here, and has a lot of power because of that. Having him tried by the ICW, given his position in Britain, is our best bet, but I’m still worried.”

“Understandable,” said Huang. “That looks ready,” she said, gesturing to the cauldron.

“Thanks,” said Tony. He moved it off the heat, decanted the other potion into phials, and then covered the second one and set it aside to cool completely. Crispian would decant it in the morning. He checked his watch. “And that’s me for bed. Have a good night, Auntie. I’ll introduce you to Harry in the morning.”

“Oh, I’m coming shopping with you,” she said. “Excellent chance for me to get to know him.”

Tony laughed. “I just hope we don’t send him fleeing in terror between the two of us.”

“Nonsense,” said Huang. “I have impeccable taste.”

***************************************

Tony showered and crawled into bed. He took out his phone, breathed slowly for a moment to calm himself, and dialed Jethro.

“Hey,” said Jethro. The sounds in the background indicated that he’d answered it on speaker, in the basement.

“Hey yourself,” said Tony. He relaxed more at the sound of his partner’s voice.

“How’d it go?”

“Congratulations, it’s a boy,” said Tony. “Paperwork all signed, magical vow undertaken, Harry’s asleep in the bedroom next door.”

“You okay?”

“Eh, a little panicky. I wasn’t really expecting to become a parent like this. He’s been through way too much already, and I just want to shoot everyone who hurt him.”

Jethro chuckled. “It’s a little like that when you have a baby, too, except then the urge to shoot people is more about wanting to shoot anyone who breathes germs on your kid.”

“I suppose,” said Tony. “We’ll apply for a passport and see if we can fast-track it this week, and then we’ll come back to DC and figure shit out there. I think it would do him good to see the magical community in America. I’m not sure what’s going on at Hogwarts, but he hasn’t been told much about the wider magical world. All he has is limited information about the British community. He called one of his friends tonight to tell her he was somewhere safe, and I think she’d be a good resource to ask about what they’ve been learning at school. He’s had a few close calls at the school itself that make me think their safety standards are pretty much non-existent.”

“Like what?”

“Like letting a possessed teacher in through the wards, and a cursed object which took control of another student and used her to wake up a basilisk. Harry killed a _fucking basilisk_ when he was twelve, Jethro. He barely survived. What the hell is going on there?”

“Tony, what’s a basilisk?”

“Oh, giant snake that can turn you into stone with its eyes. Kind of like Medusa but in giant snake form.”

“What was Harry doing with it?”

“Trying to save his best friend’s little sister. Apparently none of the teachers could be bothered.”

Jethro hissed. “I think your desire to shoot people sounds entirely rational at this point,” he said. “I’ll help.”

“I’ve already gotten Dumbledore arrested, so that’s a start,” said Tony. “Once that domino falls, the rest should be easy.”

“Don’t count on it,” Jethro said. “Corruption’s tricky.”

“Don’t I know it,” said Tony. He flopped back onto his pillows. “I’d better go. I’m exhausted, and tomorrow I have to take a teenage boy shopping for decent clothes because his previous guardians were assholes. I’ll call tomorrow evening?”

“Sounds good,” said Jethro. He paused. “Love you.”

Tony smiled. “Love you, too.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More time with the Paddingtons.

**Paddington House**

Harry yawned and stretched. He felt like he was in one of the beds at Hogwarts but he remembered leaving school the day before. Then he realized he was in his new room at Paddington House. He sat up and looked around the room. Hedwig was sleeping on her perch, head tucked beneath one wing. The light shining into the room indicated that it was definitely morning. Harry found a clock on his nightstand. It was nearly 10 am. 

He showered quickly and dressed in the least awful of Dudley’s old clothes. One of the good things about his uniform was that he could at least blend in with everyone else, but if they were going into town to buy him Muggle clothes, he’d need to keep these on for now. He felt embarrassed about Tony’s insistence on getting him clothes, but relieved that he wouldn’t have to live with Dudley’s cast-offs anymore. 

The hallway was empty and the doors to all the rooms were shut, so Harry had no idea if anyone else was up. He only took a wrong turn getting to the kitchen once, and there he found Tony reading the paper and drinking coffee while a woman he assumed was Tony’s aunt was demolishing a plate of eggs and sausage.

“Ah, there he is!” she said, noticing Harry standing in the doorway. “Come in, Harry. I’m Tony’s Aunt Huang, so you’d best call me Aunt Huang as well. Save on the confusion. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Anything is fine,” said Harry. “I’m not picky.” 

Tony set aside his newspaper. “It’s Lizbet’s half day off so she’s visiting her sister and leaving us to fend for ourselves for breakfast this morning. I left sausages warming in the oven and I can do a mean scrambled egg. Does that work?”

“Sure,” said Harry. “I can cook for myself, though,” he offered as Tony headed to the fridge for the eggs. 

“Nah, save that for a morning when you wake up before me. Sit down. Do you want tea, coffee, juice?”

“Tea, please,” said Harry.

“Excellent,” said Huang. She fetched a cup from the cupboard and poured Harry a cup of tea from the pot that was sitting on the table, hiding beneath a tea-cosy. She offered him milk and sugar. He took milk and settled at an empty spot at the table. 

Harry looked over at Tony’s discarded newspaper. It was a magical paper, but he didn’t recognize it. “This isn’t the _Daily Prophet_ ,” he said. 

“No,” said Huang, setting a bowl of chopped fruit in front of Harry. “That would be the magical edition of the _New York Times_. We have it delivered through an international post box.” She refilled her own tea. “We do get the _Daily Prophet_ but it’s not very informative.”

Harry looked at the headline. "ICW to Vote on International Secrecy Act Reforms." He was pretty sure he’d never seen anything about the ICW on the front page of the _Prophet_ , but then he’d only read it occasionally.

“Scrambled eggs are okay, right?” Tony asked. “I can do over-easy but they tend to be messier.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” said Harry. “Thanks.”

“You are most welcome,” said Tony. “Oh, scallions? Tomato? Cheese?”

“Please,” said Harry, a little surprised by the sheer effort Tony was going to. He wasn’t going turn down food, though. He started on the fruit. 

“Before you get started properly, take this,” said Tony producing a phial filled with a teal liquid. “Nutrient potion. It’ll help you absorb more stuff from the food you’re eating.”

Harry knocked it back with a grimace. He’d had enough potions in the last three years to learn that they hardly ever tasted good. He ran his tongue across his teeth and made a face. “It tastes like...pond scum?”

“That one has spirulina in it,” said Huang. When he looked confused, she clarified, “Blue-green algae. Very good for you, but yes, it does taste like pond scum, because that’s essentially what it is.”

“Oh,” said Harry. He drank half of his tea at one go. Huang topped up his cup without him asking. 

“Eat your fruit,” she encouraged him. “It’ll help with the aftertaste.” She produced a notepad. “Now, while you eat, give me an idea of what we need to get for you while we’re out today. I thought we could leave after we finish here.”

Harry swallowed a mouthful of fruit. “Um, I’m not really sure. The only clothes I’ve ever had new were my school uniforms.”

“Hmm,” said Huang. “Let’s start from the bottom up. Socks and underpants.” She waved away Harry’s blush. “Tosh. I raised one son full-time, and Tony part-time. Underpants are part of a standard wardrobe.” She wrote on the paper with a fountain pen she’d seemingly produced from thin air.

“Obviously shirts,” she continued. “For the summer, we’ll settle on t-shirts, for the most part, and a couple of buttoned ones in case you need them. And a jumper or two. Trousers...jeans, I think, shorts, and a pair of nice trousers.” She pursed her lips. “Do you have a rain jacket?”

Harry shook his head. “I have the school cloak,” he offered.

“Not really adequate, and it doesn’t work in the regular world,” she said, adding it to her list. “And new shoes, of course. Do you have pajamas?”

“Sort of?” Harry said. Tony plopped a plate full of eggs and sausage down in front of him.

“Just grit your teeth and she’ll be done soon,” he offered. He sat down with his coffee and went back to his reading.

“That doesn’t help!” Harry protected. 

Huang chuckled. “I remember teenage boys could usually care less about what they wear. I promise to not be too overbearing.”

********************************************

Three hours later, Harry was wondering what Huang was like when she was overbearing. He now had more clothes than he had ever owned before. The three of them sat in a local café, surrounded by carrier bags. Harry was eating a sandwich and Tony was digging into a shared plate of chips, after saying that he hadn’t had proper British chips in a while.

Huang checked her list. “I think that should be fine for now,” she said. “If you end up needing anything else, we can always come back. Now we can burn those dreadful things you’re wearing.”

Tony choked on a chip. When he got his airway cleared, he said, “No.”

“Why not?”

“Just because you have an affinity for fire...” Tony growled.

“Nonsense,” said Huang. “It’s not as if I’m going to burn the house down. I’m very good at controlled fire.”

Harry looked at his aunt and cousin. “I’m not sure whether you’re being serious or not,” he said.

“Oh, we’re serious,” said Tony. “And Auntie, I thought you’d set enough things on fire for the moment.”

She sniffed and stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken. “Those rags are begging to be burnt. If it wouldn’t get me in trouble, I’d go hex your aunt, Harry, for making you wear them.”

“Thank you?” said Harry. 

They headed back to the house after lunch, and Harry changed into some of his new clothes. Most of them went into the washing machine Tony showed him. Harry had to admit that clothes that fit comfortably and didn’t look terrible made him feel a lot better about himself. Huang confiscated Harry’s old clothes and disappeared into the basement, muttering about a cleansing ritual. Harry had declined the invitation to set them on fire, but had said she could do whatever she wanted with them. 

He wandered into the library Tony had pointed out the day before and started exploring. He liked to read, but he never seemed to have time to read for fun at Hogwarts. Either he had too much homework, or someone was trying to kill him. The family library here was huge and much more cheerful than the Hogwarts library. He ran a careful finger across the spines and then focused in on the titles. He carefully picked one up off the shelf. _A Vindication of the Rights of Woman_ , by Mary Wollstonecraft. He opened it, and realized that it wasn’t a magical text. He replaced the book on the shelf and started exploring in earnest.

*******************************************

Tony found Harry in the sci-fi and fantasy section of the library. “Spoiled for choice?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Harry. “Aunt Petunia would let me bring home books from the library because I could read in my cupboard and be out of the way, but I wasn’t allowed to read anything like this.” He gestured at the shelves stacked with a colourful mixture of hardcovers and paperbacks. “I don’t really know where to start.”

Tony scanned the shelves and plucked a small book out of the T section. “Try this one,” he said. “It was your mum’s favourite.”

“ _The Hobbit_ ,” Harry read. “She liked this one? Really?”

“Yup,” said Tony. “When I met her for the first time, her copy of it was falling apart because no one had taught her book preservation spells. She was a bit miffed at James for that, and then she was furious with the Hogwarts curriculum for not teaching them. I showed her how the spells worked, and James went out and bought her a special leather-bound copy as a birthday present.” He tapped the book he had handed to Harry. “This is her paperback version, the one I helped her work preservation spells on—she left it here when they went into hiding with you. I remember finding it the first time I visited after she and James were killed.”

Harry smoothed the book cover. “Thanks,” he said, his voice rough. “I’ll be careful with it.”

“It won’t fall apart now,” said Tony. “And we have other copies here. This one’s yours now.”

He nodded, blinking away the moisture that had come to his eyes. He turned away from Tony and curled into one of the comfortable armchairs that were scattered in nooks throughout the library. 

Tony smiled at his cousin, and snagged a copy of _A Hat Full of Sky_ from the shelf. He hadn’t gotten around to reading Pratchett’s newest books, and wanted to see what Tiffany Aching was up to. He flopped down into the nearest chair and lost himself in Discworld while Harry took his first trip to Middle Earth.

******************************************

“Ah, there you are!” said Clive. “Thought I might find you in here. Lizbet says dinner is ready, and you two need to show up.”

Harry started and almost fell out of his chair. “Sorry!” he said. 

Clive laughed. “We don’t keep this library around for show, Harry,” he said. “We’ve all gotten lost in a good book more than once.”

Tony yawned and put a bookmark in his own book. “I was so close to finishing, too,” he said. He stood and stretched. “Let’s get some food in us, and then you can go back to reading, Harry,” he said. “Enjoying it?”

Harry very carefully set his mother’s book down. “Yes,” he said. “It’s amazing. And it feels familiar. It’s like I’ve read it before, but I know I haven’t.”

Clive ruffled Harry’s hair. “Lily read that out loud to you when you were a baby,” he said. “It’s probably in there somewhere.”

Harry cleared his throat. “Oh. Wow. Why?”

His uncle shrugged. “She said something about getting you addicted to books early.”

“I guess it worked, even if I haven’t had a lot of time to read for fun since I started at Hogwarts,” he said

Crispian, overhearing this as they entered the kitchen, said, “Well, it’s not like the Hogwarts library believes in fiction. Especially not _Muggle_ fiction.” He sounded disgusted.

“Their arts education is abysmal,” Huang agreed. “That was one of the reasons I was so glad you wanted to attend Beauxbatons.”

“I got more arts education at a military boarding school than I would have at Hogwarts,” Tony said. 

Harry took the seat Tony pulled out for him. “I guess I hadn’t really noticed,” he said. “It’s so busy that I don’t have a lot of time for the clubs. I think there’s some art and music ones. I play Quidditch, but that doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else besides schoolwork.”

“What are your electives?” Clive asked. “Those start in third year, don’t they?” 

Lizbet bustled over to the table, served the food, and took her own seat. They were having a traditional Sunday beef roast with potatoes and roasted vegetables, but she had made an elaborate salad as well, and everyone took a good-sized helping of that under her watchful eye. 

Harry speared a forkful of salad and took a bite before he remembered that Clive had asked him a question. He chewed and swallowed. “Well, I signed up for Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, but I really wish I’d picked something other than Divination.”

“Why did you?”

“My friend Ron picked it, too, because he said it was supposed to be easy.” Harry stared at his plate for a moment. “But she predicts my death in every lesson and she doesn’t care if we make things up for our answers.”

“She predicts your death in every lesson?” said Crispian. “What kind of teacher is she?”

Harry poked at his slice of roast. “She’s got something...she said something to me a few weeks ago, right before everything with Peter Pettigrew and Sirius happened. But she didn’t remember it after.”

Tony set aside his utensils. “Harry, do you remember what she said? It could be important.”

“It was...” Harry squinched his eyes shut. “Something about Voldemort being alone and abandoned, and how one of his servants had been chained up but would escape and help Voldemort rise again, and that the servant would escape before midnight that night. And then Pettigrew escaped from us and ran and he was the one who turned out to be a Death Eater. I thought she was talking about Sirius at first, but...”

“But Peter had framed Sirius and spent the years hiding and biding his time,” Tony finished. 

“But Trelawney’s such a fraud in class...how can she be a real Seer?”

“Divination is a difficult subject,” said Huang. “There are many tools which can aid divination, but anyone with a spark of the Gift will only be able to use one or two. Your professor’s primary focus in Divination sounds like one of the more difficult ones both to recognize and master. The magic of true foresight, spoken in prophecy, frequently uses the gifted as a channel and they can open themselves up to the magic or close themselves off, but they can never truly control it. My grandmother was one such, and she chose to leave herself open to Magic’s whims. That gave her more awareness of when she was speaking. Professor Trelawney, if she is truly unaware, has probably inadvertently closed herself off so only the most urgent prophecies Magic wishes to send can make it through.”

“Why would you close yourself off to it?” Harry asked.

“It can be frightening,” said Huang. “Knowing that, at any moment, Magic can take control of your body and speak through you puts many people off.”

Harry shuddered. “I can see that.”

“Do you feel like you’re learning anything in those classes, Harry?” Tony asked.

“I don’t really know,” said Harry. “Hagrid’s class is okay, but he kind of alternates between terrifying dangerous creatures and really boring ones. The textbook he picked for the class bites. He’d be sad if I decided to drop it, though.”

“That’s not necessarily a reason to stay,” said Crispian. “What about Divination?”

“I don’t want to stay in that class,” said Harry. “But wouldn’t I be a year behind everyone else if I switched into a different one?”

“What options did they offer you?” Clive asked.

“Well, Hermione took everything, and she said Muggle Studies was rubbish, but she really liked Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. She dropped Muggle Studies and Divination at the end of the year, but kept everything else. I looked at her Arithmancy textbook and it’s mostly math. I could do that.”

“Muggle Studies has always been a travesty at Hogwarts,” said Clive. “It was when I attended and since they never bother to hire an instructor who has spent time living among mundanes, it remains so.”

“We could ask for you to do an independent study over this school year and next summer and get you caught up with the Arithmancy program so you could start with your peers in the class in fifth year,” Tony suggested. “If your friend Hermione did so many independent studies last year she could help you figure out your study schedule.”

“She didn’t do independent studies,” said Harry. “She had a Time Turner.”

Half the adults at the table dropped their silverware in surprise. 

Clive recovered his composure first. “Who authorized a Time Turner for a thirteen-year-old girl?”

“Well, her birthday’s in September, so she was fourteen most of the year,” said Harry.

“Fine, who authorized a Time Turner for a fourteen-year-old girl?” Clive demanded. 

“I don’t know,” said Harry. “Professor McGonagall gave it to her, but Professor Dumbledore definitely knew about it, since he had us use it to rescue Sirius.”

“You rescued Sirius using a Time Turner?” Tony said. “He didn’t mention that. Granted, I didn’t ask, since I mostly wanted the details about his non-existent trial, but you’d think it would have occurred to him.”

“I’m not sure he noticed,” said Harry. “It was a weird night.”

“Sounds like,” said Crispian. “And it sounds like we have another thing to add to the investigation list. Time Turners are strictly controlled by the Ministry unless they are old family heirlooms. They are not recommended for use by anyone under the age of seventeen due to concerns about magical core development. If your friend is willing to come here and meet with me, I’ll take a look at her core and make sure it’s still healthy after using a Time Turner on a regular basis for ten months.”

“I’ll ask,” Harry promised. Lizbet passed him the roast vegetables and he obediently refilled his plate. She beamed at him when he complimented the food.

The rest of the dinner was less filled with controversy. Harry quietly excused himself at the end of the meal, saying he wanted to call Hermione if that was okay. Clive told him to use the phone in the office whenever he liked.

Harry dialled Hermione’s number, and when she answered, he instantly blurted out, “Hermione, I think Hogwarts has problems.”

“Oh?” she said. “What brought you to that conclusion? The Dementors? The basilisk?”

“Sorry,” he said. “I mean, at dinner tonight I mentioned you having a Time Turner and my cousin Crispian, who’s a healer, said that underage wizards aren’t supposed to use them because of something to do with our magical cores. He said he’d like to check you sometime this summer to make sure you’re okay.”

Hermione sighed. “You know, I wondered about that, especially after I discovered at the end of the year that a lot of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were doing independent studies so they could fit everything in. I’m happy to do that. How are you otherwise?”

“Well, Tony’s Aunt Huang is terrifying. She and Tony took me shopping today. I don’t think I’ve ever owned so many clothes.”

Hermione laughed. “Good for them. Anything else?”

“I started reading _The Hobbit_. Tony says it was my mum’s favourite book.”

“How do you like it so far?”

“I love it,” he said. “I was just about to start a chapter called ‘Riddles in the Dark’ when it was time for dinner.”

“Oh, that one’s brilliant,” said Hermione. “When you finish that book, Tolkien wrote a trilogy, _The Lord of the Rings_ , as a sequel to _The Hobbit_. It’s more epic, and it’s really good, too.”

“I’ll read that next,” Harry said. “I wish Hogwarts had a fiction section in the library.”

“Me too,” said Hermione. “I’ve looked at the bookstores in Diagon Alley and they just don’t have a lot of fiction available. The few things I’ve seen have been like that weird comic Ron likes.”

Harry wrinkled his nose. He had not been impressed with _Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle_ , either. “You would love the library here. It’s enormous, and it’s magical and Muggle books. The whole house is like that. They have electricity. Aunt Huang’s speciality is inventing ways to mix the two so technology works in magical homes. Tony said the Ministry here won’t sign off on it, so she can only sell it in other countries. But they have television here, Hermione! I got to watch a movie last night!”

“Which one?” Hermione asked. “I definitely spent some of today catching up on movies.”

“ _Star Wars_. Aunt Petunia wouldn’t let Dudley watch it.”

“The Force _is_ basically magic,” Hermione agreed. “What did you think?”

“I loved it. We’re going to watch the next one, maybe two, tonight.”

“ _Empire Strikes Back_?” Hermione said. “Oh, you have to tell me what you think of that one.”

Tony tapped at the study door. “Almost done?” he asked. “We’ve got the movie set up and ready to go.”

“Just a moment,” said Harry. “I need to go.”

“Oh, wait a second,” said Hermione. “My parents would like you and your guardian to come for dinner. Would tomorrow night work?”

Harry relayed the message to Tony.

“Absolutely,” said Tony. “What time? And do her parents like wine?”

Harry checked. “She says 6, and yes.”

“Excellent,” said Tony. He waited as Harry said goodbye and hung up. “Now come, my young Padawan. Let us learn the ways of the Force.”

“Your what?”

“You’ll see.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Tony talk about some of Harry's experiences at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the end of "Empire Strikes Back," but really, if you don't know about that, have you been living under a rock?

**Paddington House**

Tony dragged himself out of bed at seven, made coffee in the kitchen while Lizbet fussed about his eating habits, and left, promising to return for a proper breakfast. He had an early meeting with Gringotts and the investigative team he’d hired. He Flooed to Gringotts, where Vindalf met him and handed him a large folder. “The team is waiting for you,” he said. “They are...perturbed.”

“Understood,” said Tony. He followed Vindalf into a conference room. Security spells activated once Vindalf shut the door. Tony followed the glimmers of magic with his mage-sight, noting the spells that would neutralize any listening or surveillance spells. 

“Agent DiNozzo, this is Ragnhild. She is the lead investigator on this team.” 

Tony inclined his head to the goblin. “It is a pleasure to meet a goblin willing to help me make war.”

She grinned at him, showing sharp, pointed teeth. “It is a pleasure to be asked to make war for the houses of Paddington and Potter, Agent DiNozzo.”

“And what sort of war will we be making?” he asked.

At that, her grin faded. “Sit. We have much to discuss. I understand that the ICW has taken Albus Dumbledore into custody?”

“Yes,” said Tony. “I received confirmation of that yesterday. If news leaks to the public, they will be framing it as an inquiry, given the revelation that Sirius Black was imprisoned without a trial and then condemned to death by the British Minister for Magic without any summary judgement. I have a call scheduled later today with a contact at the ICW for an update.”

“Do you wish us to provide the ICW with copies of our investigation?” Ragnhild asked.

“Anything that is relevant, yes.” Tony rested his elbows on the table, folding his hands together. “What have you discovered so far?”

Ragnhild opened a folder of her own. “Audits of the Potter accounts indicate that Dumbledore has accessed young Lord Potter’s Trust account and made arrangements for monthly withdrawals. We’ve traced that money to an account held by Vernon and Petunia Dursley.”

“Childcare payments,” said Tony.

“Yes,” said Ragnhild. “I spoke with the goblin who interacted with Lord Potter on his first visit to the bank, on his eleventh birthday. He was accompanied by Rubeus Hagrid, an employee of Hogwarts, who had Lord Potter’s vault key, allegedly given to him by Albus Dumbledore. Lord Potter has had possession of the key since, though since the payments to the Dursleys were set up to be automatic, they have continued. The money was presumably to spent on Lord Potter’s welfare, but our visit to the Dursleys’ home established that they have chosen to spend the money elsewhere.”

“My cousin Crispian Paddington is a healer; he has examined Harry and determined that he suffered physical abuse and neglect in their care.”

Ragnhild made a note on her file. “We assumed so. We can charge them with misappropriation of funds, as well as abuse. There is also the matter of the wards on the property.”

“Yes?”

Ragnhild gestured to one of her team, a human. “Warder Everly handled that aspect of our work.”

The young woman cleared her throat. “We found badly degraded blood wards around the property. The degradation was such that the wards do not function in any useful way, and while I cannot fully determine how long the wards did function, I am certain that they have not been working correctly for years. The issue primarily stems from the blood wards having been set with blood that was taken without consent. While it appears that Lord Potter might have been safe from marked Death Eaters in that house, he would not have been safe from any other sources of danger.”

Tony frowned. “I see.”

“My full report is available in the folder you were given. The magical signature of the person who placed the wards matches the magical signature on file for account holder Albus Dumbledore.”

“Did he have alerts set to monitor Harry’s well-being?”

Warder Everly nodded. “Those are fully functioning.”

Ragnhild opened another folder. “The Dursleys can be easily prosecuted through non-magical legal channels. Shall we submit our evidence to the necessary authorities?”

“Yes,” said Tony. “We would prefer that Harry not be subjected to the court process if possible.”

“Given that we also have evidence that Vernon Dursley threatened or paid off people who tried to report them for child abuse, that shouldn’t be an issue,” said Ragnhild grimly. “Reports were also blocked magically. That is being further investigated, as it appears Dumbledore was not the only person involved there.”

Tony sighed. “Do whatever you need to do. Please forward your findings to Clepsydra Asker at the ICW.”

He gathered up the folders of information they had provided, thanked the team, and headed back to the Floo. 

After he secured the data in the safe in Clive’s office, Tony headed for the kitchen, where he found Harry, reading _The Hobbit_ while eating breakfast. 

“Master Anthony, it is past time for breakfast!” Lizbet scolded. She set a plate of food in front of him. 

Harry looked up from his book. “Oh, hi Tony. Where have you been?”

“Early morning meeting at Gringotts,” said Tony. “They updated me on how their investigation into your accounts and your relatives is going. They haven’t finished auditing the Potter accounts yet, but we can go through the statements from your Trust account today. I’ll show you how that works.” He accepted the coffee Lizbet offered him. “Thank you, Lizbet. You are a jewel.”

She scoffed. “I be knowing that, Master Anthony.”

Harry laughed. “Thank you for breakfast, Lizbet. It was great.”

“You are welcome, Master Harry. You drank your potions?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’m pretty sure they tasted worse today than they did yesterday.”

“Nutrient potions are like that,” said Tony, digging into his food. “How’s the book?”

“I have a few more chapters,” said Harry. “I love it. Hermione told me to read _The Lord of the Rings_ after I finish this one.”

“That’s a lot longer, but definitely worth the read,” said Tony. “I feel like I should make you a reading list of fiction you absolutely have to know.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” said Harry. “What do we need to do today?”

Tony took a long sip of his coffee. “We need to get your passport applied for,” he said. “I want to take you over to DC with me while I figure out what’s happening with work. Plus there’s a lot to see there. We could go wander around the Smithsonian and play tourist and stuff.”

“That sounds cool,” said Harry. “I’ve never been out of the country.”

“We’ll fix that,” said Tony. “I love seeing new places, and I’m afraid you’re going to get subjected to that.” He took a bite of his food and chewed thoughtfully. “Clive filled out the application for you, so we just need some signatures and photos. We don’t quite qualify for a 1 day passport, but we should be able to get it within a week. I thought that next week we could head over to the States and spend a couple weeks there. I also wanted to talk about what you’re learning at Hogwarts. We can figure out what you want to do about your electives, and I can help you plan out your schedule for getting your summer homework done. Then we have dinner at the Grangers’ tonight. Sounds like enough?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. Do we do pictures here?”

Tony shook his head. “There’s a place in town that does passport photos and develops them in less than an hour. We’ll go there, and we can wander around town a bit while we wait.” He finished his food and started on the rest of his coffee.

“Where is everyone this morning?” Harry asked.

“Oh, at work,” said Tony. “Crispian has a private practice, Clive has a series of meetings with companies he owns today, and Huang’s got a studio over on the far end of the property for her experiments. Why don’t you go find your shoes while I finish up here?”

*******************************************

Harry found that the whole ordeal of passport photos took five minutes. They were told to be back in an hour. Tony steered them over to a local park and cast a discreet spell around them. “It keeps people from overhearing us. This way, we can talk about magic,” he explained.

“I need to learn that,” said Harry. 

“I will teach you, but not until we get to the States, since Britain’s weird about kids practicing magic outside of school.” Tony’s brow furrowed for a moment. “We should get Clive to start lobbying to amend that law. I’ll put it on the list.”

“What list?” Harry asked.

“My list of ways to fix magical Britain,” said Tony. “I’ve been mulling over it for years, but now I have a real reason to get going on it.”

Harry smiled. “Thanks, Tony.”

“You are extremely welcome, Harry,” said Tony. “Tell me about school. What’s your favourite class?”

Harry kicked at a pebble on the ground. “Well, Defence probably would be, if we didn’t mostly have rubbish teachers. Professor Lupin – Remus – was the best one we’ve had so far since I’ve been there. I really liked the class this year. Um, Transfiguration’s good, and Charms is okay. I think I’d like Potions if we had a different teacher.”

“What’s wrong with the one you have?”

“Oh, he hates me,” said Harry. “Apparently he hated my dad and Sirius and since I look like my dad, he hates me.”

Tony nodded. “I see. What’s his name?”

“Severus Snape,” said Harry. “He’s supposed to be brilliant at Potions but he’s a terrible teacher.”

Tony paused for a moment and then continued walking. He’d write to Severus Snape and see what was going on there. The last time they had met, it had been at James and Lily’s home, before the family had gone into hiding. Severus had switched sides, and he and Lily had renewed their friendship. He remembered the man awkwardly holding Harry as if he’d never seen a baby before, and James teasing that Harry wasn’t going to explode.

“And your Head of House?”

“Professor McGonagall? She’s fine. She’s strict. I don’t really know her all that well,” he said. 

“Tell me about your first year,” Tony said. “What was it like, going to Hogwarts? I’ve seen pictures of the place but I’ve never actually been there.”

Harry’s face lit up and he started telling Tony about the train ride and his first sight of the castle from the boats on the lake.

By the time they needed to go pick up Harry’s pictures, Tony was feeling slightly homicidal and had several letters to teachers at Hogwarts planned. Harry had fleshed out the details of some incidents that he had mentioned over the last couple days, but from his stories, it sounded like Hogwarts had become dangerously unsafe, and that his teachers were completely ignoring numerous red flags with Harry’s health and behaviour. He kept a lid on it, though. It wouldn’t help Harry if he exploded about things and it certainly wouldn’t help him trust Tony.

The passport office was as boring as usual. Harry worked his way through the last few chapters of _The Hobbit_ and Tony started on _Going Postal_ while they waited. Tony paid the fees, submitted the application, answered all their questions, and scheduled the pick-up date for Harry’s passport for the following Tuesday. 

Once they emerged from the passport office, Harry looked over to Tony. “Is it always like that?” he asked. 

“Deadly dull?” said Tony. “Absolutely. Nothing in life is certain except bureaucracy. Hell, I’m a federal agent, and most of the job is paperwork. Makes the world go round.” He stretched. “I hate those chairs they have in the waiting room. Want to go home and get some lunch? We can take a look at your summer homework and then you can get going on the Lord of the Rings.”

“Thanks,” said Harry. “Sounds good to me.”

****************************************

Tony found himself extremely unimpressed with Harry’s history assignments. He flipped through the textbook and considered tossing it against the wall. It was horribly out of date. Instead, he made a mental note to file a complaint about Harry’s history instructor. Based on what Harry said, Binns’ continuing appointment as a teacher was probably more about the fact that ghosts did not require salaries than about his teaching skills. The only homework that actually looked to be at the level he’d been at when he was Harry’s age was the potions homework, and Harry at least seemed to understand the subject matter enough that he wasn’t worried about completing the assignment. Tony wondered if that was Harry’s interest in the subject, or Snape’s teaching. He helped Harry plan out a schedule for the next two weeks so he could get his summer homework completed quickly but still have time to read, watch movies, and relax. Then he sent him off to the library to read.

Tony’s next job involved calling a friend at the ICW. He had been promised updates on what was happening on their end, and he wanted to make sure they’d received the packet Gringotts had sent over. He settled in Clive’s comfortable office chair, picked up the phone, and tapped in Clepsydra’s office number.

“Bonjour, Agent Asker,” said a crisp voice with a slight Greek accent.

“Clepsydra, this is Tony DiNozzo.”

She cleared her throat and switched to English. “Ah, I’ve been wondering when I would hear from you. You’ve stirred up quite the hornet’s nest here, my old friend.”

“Just doing my duty as a concerned citizen,” Tony said. “Gringotts is conducting an independent investigation on my behalf and I’ve asked them to share their findings with you. Have you received anything from them yet?”

Clepsydra snorted. “Thanks so much for that, Tony,” she said. “I think you doubled my workload with that stunt. I’ve got arrest warrants being issued for a number of British citizens for violating international magical law. I finally get to bring in that arsehole Bartemius Crouch, so I suppose I should thank you, but mostly I’m just pissed off at the amount of corruption we’re uncovering. Is young Potter well? I wanted to set Dumbledore on fire when he admitted what he’d done to the boy.”

“He’s safe with me,” said Tony. “He needs some long-term medical treatment because of the neglect and abuse, and once we’re a bit more stable, I’ll find him a good therapist. He’s going to need one. How’s it going with Dumbledore?”

“Oh, we’ve already charged him with a few things,” Clepsydra said. “Kidnapping a minor violates his employment contract with the ICW, for one. So does knowingly allowing the judicial process to be violated or ignored. There’s too much proof for us not to charge him with those, and it seems like every questioning session with him reveals more information. We’re going to nail his arse to the wall, Tony.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Tony. “And Sirius?”

“We’ve requested information from the British Ministry about Sirius Black’s status and all documentation they can provide. I hope to hear from Amelia Bones by the end of the week. It’ll take a bit for all the paperwork to go through, but I think we should have him cleared within three weeks.”

“Thanks,” said Tony. “Anything I can help with?”

“Not at the moment,” said Clepsydra. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Oh, and Martine told me to say merci. She’s getting ready to propose that legislation to standardize how we handle the Statute of Secrecy for all member nations, and Dumbledore was vehemently opposed, since it would require Britain to switch to a system more like everyone else’s. Without him there, she’ll have a lot more support. He won’t be able to guilt anyone into voting it down.”

“Excellent,” said Tony. “Tell her pas de problème from me. C’est mon plaisir.”

“Vraiment,” said Clepsydra wryly. “I’ll let her know. Anything else?”

“Nope,” said Tony. “You have my contact numbers if you need to get a hold of me. À bientôt!”

“Au revoir,” said Clepsydra. 

Tony hung up and tapped his fingers together for a moment. Then he extracted letter-writing paper from his uncle’s desk and started on his letters to Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall.

********************************************

Harry curled up in the same chair he’d been reading in yesterday with a copy of the _The Lord of Rings_ that contained all three books in one volume. It was enormous, but he dove in eagerly, starting with the very long preface about the history of hobbits. Bilbo had just left the Ring with Frodo when he heard Tony saying, “Earth to Harry!”

He blinked. “Sorry?”

“It’s time to get ready to go to Hermione’s,” said Tony.

“Oh,” said Harry. He looked at the clock. It was 5:30. “Right. What should I wear?”

“I’d go for jeans with one of the nicer shirts we got yesterday,” said Tony. “Casual but still showing your host that you felt they were worth dressing up for.”

“Okay,” said Harry. He hurried up the stairs, book still in hand, and changed. He left the book on his nightstand. He figured he could read before he went to sleep.

Tony was waiting in the entrance hall, dressed, like Harry, in nice but casual clothing. He carried a bag with a bottle of wine. “Ready?” said Tony. He took Harry’s arm. 

“I double-checked the address,” said Tony. “There’s an Apparation point not far from their house. Ready?”

Harry nodded. He closed his eyes. He had Apparated with Tony a few times now, and he definitely didn’t like the sensation, even if it was convenient.

They landed in a sheltered copse in what turned out to be a park several blocks from the Grangers’ home. Hermione answered the door and excitedly invited them in. “Mum and Dad are in the kitchen,” she said. “Oh, and they’re a bit fussy about the carpet, so you’ll want to take off your shoes.”

Tony noticed Harry staring at Hermione’s bare feet and poked him. “Shoes,” he said. 

“Oh, right,” said Harry, kicking his shoes off and putting them on the shoe rack near the door. He felt a little awkward – he had never seen Hermione dressed so casually before, but then, stone floors were usually too cold to wander over barefoot. He glanced around the house as Hermione led them to the kitchen. It was nice – a step up from the Dursleys’ but definitely middle-class, and thoroughly non-magical. 

“Hi,” said Tony, holding out a hand to Hermione’s father. “I’m Tony DiNozzo. I’m Harry’s second cousin and his guardian.”

“I’m Corin Granger, Hermione’s father. This is my wife, Miranda.” 

“Hello,” said Tony, shaking Hermione’s mother’s hand. “Both Shakespearean names, I see.”

Miranda laughed. “I’m afraid we felt it was far too much of coincidence and passed it on to Hermione.” 

Tony offered her the bottle of wine he had brought. “For you,” he said. “I hope you enjoy it.”

Miranda looked at the label. “I’m sure we shall. I’ve only ever heard of this wine. We collect a bit, but try to not go overboard.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen my uncle’s collection,” said Tony. “It’s terrible. Fortunately, he believes in drinking the wine he purchases so it hasn’t completely taken over their cellar.”

“Harry,” said Hermione. “Did you want to see the rest of the house?”

Harry started. “Oh, sure,” he said. Hermione took his hand and towed him out the door.

“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes,” Corin called after them. “We’re having pork chops for the main dish. I do hope that’s acceptable,” he said, turning back to Tony.

“Oh, I’ll eat just about anything,” said Tony. “No dietary concerns. And Harry just needs a balanced, healthy diet, and he’s not a picky eater at all.”

Miranda pulled out a white wine from the refrigerator. “Would you like a glass?”

“Please,” said Tony. He accepted a glass and thanked her. He took a sip and savoured the crisp flavour of the wine.

“Hermione said you were staying at your uncle’s home?” said Corin.

“Yes,” said Tony. “I don’t have a house over here, and my aunt and uncle’s house has always been considered a family home – we’re all welcome there whenever we like. It’s too big for a single family, really. They’re thrilled to have Harry and me there.”

“So, why didn’t you have custody of him before this?” Miranda asked. “I sent a letter to Social Services after I met Harry the first time, before Hermione’s second year. Hermione had shared a few things that Harry had said, and when I saw him, he was obviously neglected. I wrote more than once, actually, since no one followed up.”

Tony set his glass down on the counter. “That’s currently under investigation. Certain people in the magical world were invested in controlling Harry’s life to such an extent that they illegally placed him with the people his parents’ wills stated he was not to go to under any circumstances, and then used both magical and non-magical means to obstruct our family’s access to him. I was lied to, repeatedly, about who was raising him and where he was. I was told he was in a magical version of witness protection to keep him safe from Voldemort’s former followers. Unfortunately for Harry, that seems to have been the only thing he was actually protected from.”

“My god,” said Corin. “That’s—please tell me you are pressing charges.”

“Oh, we are,” said Tony. “I’d appreciate it, though, if someone from the magical world contacts you for information about Harry’s whereabouts, that you say all you know is that he’s living with his relatives. We’ve kept it out of the press for now, and arrests are being made. I don’t want to risk Harry being targeted by one of the people who have endangered him in the past before they’re apprehended.”

Miranda shook her head. “And that’s why Social Services never followed up? Magical interference?”

“It’s likely,” said Tony. “The investigative team is still working on that angle and I don’t have all the details yet. I’m privy to more of the investigation than I probably should be, given my connection to Harry, but I need to know as much as I can so I can protect him.”

Corin sighed and refilled his wine glass. “What do you think of the magical world?” he asked. “Hermione loves magic, and I don’t want to deny her an education there, but I have some serious concerns about how they do things.”

“You’re not wrong to have those concerns,” said Tony, picking up his own wine glass. “British magical society has been closed off from the non-magical world for centuries. They do pick up some innovations from the rest of the world, but only very slowly. They’re extremely insular. Those of us with non-magical families can find it very difficult to adjust, because magical Britain makes life as a witch or wizard an all-or-nothing proposition.”

“I see,” said Miranda. “You say ‘British magical society.’ I take it witches and wizards in other parts of the world are different?”

“It varies,” said Tony. “But yes, Britain in particular is behind the times for magical societies, too. I live in the States in part because my mother was what British magicals call a Squib. She couldn’t do magic with a wand, and as a result, most of magical Britain would treat her as defective. In America, she was welcomed in the magical community and able to move seamlessly between the mundane and magical worlds. Our family in particular doesn’t care whether an individual can do magic or not, but many of the other people in magical Britain don’t see it that way.”

Corin pulled a pan of roasted vegetables from the oven. “I’ve noticed,” he said. “We met the Weasleys, the family of Hermione and Harry’s friend Ronald, a couple years ago. They didn’t seem to have the slightest idea of how the rest of the world worked. Mr. Weasley kept quizzing me about technology and mispronouncing everything. Apparently he works in a department that handles non-magical items that have been enchanted by wizards, but he doesn’t seem to understand what he works with every day.”

Tony winced slightly. “Yeah, that’s pretty typical here. It drives me kind of crazy, when my aunt and uncle live in a house that combines magic and technology and know how to use a phone, among other things.”

*************************************************

“Are your parents going to interrogate Tony?” Harry asked. “Because so far he’s been really good to me.”

Hermione headed up the stairs. “My room’s this way,” she said. “And I think they want to ask him questions about the wizarding world more than about himself. I told my parents what happened this year, and they were...well, they were really upset.”

Harry followed Hermione into her room, which, as he’d expected, had more than one bookshelf. “Yeah, well, it seems like every time I tell my new family about stuff at school, they get upset. I thought telling Crispian about the basilisk was going to give him a heart attack.”

“Harry, you fought a basilisk when you were twelve. And you won. That’s insane, and you know it,” said Hermione.

He shrugged. “I was just trying to survive.” He glanced around her room. “I like your room,” he said. 

“Thanks,” said Hermione. She sat down on her bed. “So, what did you think of the rest of the Star Wars movies?”

Harry grinned. “I couldn’t believe Darth Vader turned out to be Luke’s father! That was crazy. Crispian says I need to watch the new ones, too, and every time he says that, Tony gets this look on his face.”

“They aren’t as good as the old ones,” said Hermione. “But there’s stuff that I still like in them. The third one’s still out in theatres.”

“Tony said he’d take me to see it if I still want to once I’ve seen the first two.” He looked at her shyly. “Maybe you could come with us?”

“That would be fun.” Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m so glad you have a proper family now, Harry. You seem so much happier than you were just a few days ago.”

Harry squeezed back. “I’m glad to have them. It’s still weird, but it’s good. Oh, I started reading _Lord of the Rings_ today. So far, I like it. I can’t believe how many books I’ve missed out on because Aunt Petunia wouldn’t let me read anything with magic in it. The library at Paddington House has this huge section of science fiction and fantasy. I don’t know where to go after I finish this one.”

Hermione hopped off her bed and went to rummage through one of her bookshelves. “I can make you a list of the books I like best,” she offered. “I wish the library at school had more of this sort of thing. You could stop re-reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_.”

“It’s interesting, but I am getting tired of it. And Ron hates going to the library so I don’t get much of a chance to browse.” Harry sighed. “I get that it’s not his thing, but I really do like reading and I’ve missed getting to do it for fun the last few years.”

“Hasn’t stopped me,” said Hermione. 

“I know, but you don’t share a dorm with him. It’s—he’s my best mate, but sometimes it feels like we don’t always have a lot in common.”

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. “And you’re not good at standing up for yourself,” she said.

Harry looked at her and the expression on his face made her sigh. “Fine, we won’t talk about that now,” she said. “But fair warning, I’m reading some books about psychology this summer.”

“Pretty sure I heard Crispian muttering something about a therapist, so you don’t really need to,” Harry assured her. 

_*********************************************_

Over dinner, Hermione asked Tony why there were so few magical novels. “I’ve barely started catching up on new releases over the last couple days, and I realized just how much I miss reading fiction while I’m at school.”

“I can’t be certain, but my theory is that it’s because the Statute of Secrecy happened before the novel got solidly established as a cornerstone of English writing. That, or it’s a lack of creativity. Magical Britain is terrible about arts education,” said Tony.

“So there are magical novels in other countries?”

“Yes,” said Tony, “although a lot of magical authors prefer to write for the mundane market since they’ll reach a bigger audience that way. If they want to include magic in the book, they can call it fantasy.”

“That makes sense,” said Miranda. “Could you give us a list of magical writers who do that?”

“I can,” said Tony. “Given the number of books in your house, you’re probably already familiar with some of them.”

When they finished dinner, Hermione asked her parents if Harry could stay and watch a movie. “He’s never seen _The Princess Bride_!” she said. “Please?”

Tony shrugged. “We don’t mind staying, if you don’t object to having us stay later.”

“Well, I suppose we could,” said Corin. “I haven’t watched it in a while, myself. Miranda?”

“Why not?” said Miranda. “I’ll go set the DVD up.”

Tony settled in an armchair, and smiled when he saw Hermione pull Harry onto the loveseat with her. Harry leaned against Hermione a bit, relaxed because of his friend’s presence, and focused on the movie.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Harry get ready to go to the States.

**Paddington House**

“I have an appointment today, so you’ll be on your own for a bit,” said Tony over breakfast. “Is that okay with you?”

Harry looked up from the oatmeal Lizbet had given him. “That’s fine. I have homework to do and I want to keep reading. Hermione gave me a list of stuff she thinks I would like. She even sent me home with a book she says I absolutely have to read.”

“Oh?” said Tony. 

Harry held the book up. He’d brought to the table but hadn’t opened yet.

“ _The Dark Lord of Derkholm_ ,” Tony read aloud. “Ah, Diana Wynne Jones. Excellent choice. When you have a spare moment, you should try her Chrestomanci series. I think you might identify a bit with a couple of the primary characters.”

“Okay,” said Harry. He pulled a piece of notebook paper covered with Hermione’s neat handwriting out of the book. “That’s already on here, so I won’t forget.”

“We might have to send you back to school with a trunk full of fantasy novels, just so you can keep up,” Tony said. “If you need to contact me, my cell number is posted by the phone here. So are everyone else’s, for that matter. Lizbet will look after you. Huang’s in her studio on the south end of the property if you need her, and she’ll be in for lunch.”

“Where are you going?”

Tony took his dishes to the sink, rinsed them, and put them in the dishwasher. Lizbet had been thrilled when Huang worked out to make that work around magic. “I have a meeting with your Professor McGonagall to talk to her about switching you out of Divination. You’re sure about Arithmancy, right?”

Harry nodded. “Runes looks interesting but I think I can catch up with Arithmancy more easily, since it’s mostly math. Are you having lunch with Professor McGonagall?”

“No, I’m meeting her for morning tea, and then I’ll be having lunch with your Professor Snape. I have some questions for him.” Tony spoke casually, but watched for Harry’s reaction.

“I’ll be fine, really,” Harry said.

Tony walked over and rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I’ve met Severus before, Harry. He and your mother were friends, although he definitely didn’t get along with your dad and Sirius when they were in school, for a lot of reasons. He and James managed to make peace around the time you were born. I don’t know why he’s treating you terribly in class, but it needs to be addressed. It’s not appropriate behaviour for a teacher, for one, and it’s out-of-character for what I know of him, too.”

“He wanted the Dementors to kill Sirius,” said Harry.

Tony sighed. “He didn’t see Pettigrew, did he?”

Harry shook his head.

“Then as far as he knew, Sirius was partially responsible for your parents’ deaths and had been attacking students at Hogwarts all year. I can understand that reaction, particularly given that Remus forgot his Wolfsbane. Severus was nearly killed by a werewolf when he was a teenager, and he finds them terrifying, even when they aren’t in wolf form.”

“That’s why he hates Remus?” Harry asked.

“Probably,” said Tony. “I don’t know all the history there, but your dad and his friends were not particularly kind to Severus when they were kids. Your dad fully admitted to behaving like an asshole, but I don’t know if Sirius or Remus ever apologized properly.”

Harry stared into his oatmeal. “They were bullies.”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “They were. For what it’s worth, aside from that arse Pettigrew, they did grow up and try to become better people. And I have heard more than one person claim that all teenagers profile as sociopaths and then most of them grow into having empathy. Though I don’t think that’s actually true.”

Harry snorted. “That doesn’t really help right now. Dumbledore told me that Professor Snape and my dad hated each other, and that it was kind of like me and Malfoy. Except Malfoy’s the one usually ganging up on me with his friends.” He looked back up at Tony. “He calls Hermione a mudblood.”

“That little fucker,” said Tony. “And you can repeat that to him,” he added.

“She punched him this year. It was kind of brilliant.”

Tony laughed. “She’s going places,” he agreed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You told me the truth,” said Harry. “I’d rather that than have you tell me lies so I wouldn’t get upset.”

“I know the feeling, kiddo,” said Tony. “Well, I’d better get going. McGonagall will probably expect me to be on time.” He picked up the robe he’d draped over one chair and pulled it on in a swirl of fabric. “Bloody medievalists,” he muttered. “Have a good day, don’t forget your homework.”

“You too,” said Harry. “Except the homework bit.”

***************************************************

Tony arrived for his lunch meeting with Severus Snape in a bit of a mood. He’d discarded his robe after his meeting with Minerva, who had been willing to switch Harry into a directed study for Arithmancy but less amenable to hearing Tony’s other concerns about the school’s overall safety. She implied that Harry’s misfortunes were his fault for not following school rules. When Tony tried to change the subject and asked about orientation for students who came from non-magical homes, she said that they handed out pamphlets for the Muggleborn students and that was enough.

He was grinding his teeth in frustration as he strode up to the door of the Japanese restaurant he had made reservations at. He paused to calm himself and then realized Severus Snape was waiting outside the door.

“Mister DiNozzo,” said Snape, inclining his head.

“Mister Snape,” said Tony. “Give me a moment to breathe before we go in.”

Snape quirked an eyebrow at him but waved his hand to indicate that Tony should continue. Tony breathed in and out for a few breaths, and felt his heart rate calm. He'd taken a class on mindfulness and meditation a few years ago and he was making more use of it now than he had in ages. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.” Snape followed him into the restaurant. “Hi,” said Tony. “Reservation for two under DiNozzo.”

Once they were seated in their own small room and given tea, Tony took a good look at Snape. “Severus, you look like hell,” he said frankly.

Snape, while perusing his menu, said, “You try wrangling teenagers for ten months out of the year and see how you look.”

“Fair,” said Tony. “Do you know why I looked you up?”

Snape folded his menu and set it aside. “I assumed you were in town and in the mood for a walk down memory lane.”

“Not quite,” said Tony. The server returned then. They placed their orders, and made small talk until their food arrived. Once they were alone again, Tony cast a few privacy spells.

Snape’s eyebrows went up. He added a couple privacy charms of his own. “Well?” he said, picking up his chopsticks.

“Did you know that Dumbledore gave Harry to Petunia to raise?” Tony asked.

Snape dropped the piece of fish he had just picked up. “He didn’t.”

“Oh, he did,” said Tony pleasantly. “Harry finally managed to do something about it, and Gringotts contacted me.”

“You’re Potter’s guardian now?” said Snape. “I had assumed you or your family were.”

Tony shook his head. “Not until this Saturday. I’d been writing to Harry for years, to a post office box number Dumbledore gave me. Gringotts hasn’t tracked down where those letters went yet, but they never reached Harry. I was told he might not be able to write back, given security concerns.”

Snape set his chopsticks aside. “And now you’re here to interrogate me about my treatment of Potter.”

“Yes,” said Tony. “What the hell, Severus? Lily would kick your ass from here to Land’s End if she knew about it.”

Snape folded his hands and leaned on his elbows. “Albus Dumbledore has me between a rock and a hard place, Tony. I don’t trust him when it comes to Harry’s welfare, and I don’t trust what he might try to make me do if Harry and I had an amicable relationship. And, _he_ isn’t fully deceased.”

“ _That_ I am aware of,” said Tony. “We learned that beyond a doubt when Crispian ran health scans on Harry on Saturday.”

The potions’ master frowned. “How so?”

“There’s a form of black magic that involves attempting immortality by splitting one’s soul and stowing the severed bit in a container. Typically that container is inanimate, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Snape hissed. “His scar.”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “We told Harry that there’s black magic caught in his scar that needs to be purged, which is true, but I was not about to tell him that he’s got a piece of that fucking bastard in his head.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Very carefully,” said Tony. “But Harry’s not in the greatest place, health-wise, so we’re going to do what we can to get him better before we tackle pulling out a Horcrux in a ritual circle.”

Snape’s expression cleared. “Because you Paddingtons don’t care that most of magical Britain thinks ritual magic is old-fashioned.”

“You disagree, too.”

“I do,” said Snape. “However, I teach at Hogwarts, and I have Albus bloody Dumbledore willing to kick me to the kerb if I don’t toe the line.”

“It’s such a waste,” said Tony. “So, about Harry’s treatment...I have taken steps to neutralize Dumbledore, but I can’t be positive if that will oust him from the school, not yet. Do you have any loyalty oaths to the man?”

“No,” said Snape, picking his chopsticks up again. “I have the Dark Mark – I can’t be forced to take a loyalty oath to someone else while bearing it. That’s the only use I’ve found for the damn thing. But Dumbledore testified on my behalf with the Wizengamot to keep me out of prison, and he could recant that.”

Tony frowned at that. “That’s an abuse of his position, and it would be tantamount to admitting perjury. It’s an offense that would get him removed from his position as Chief Warlock. As it is, given the ICW’s charges against him, he won’t be serving on the Wizengamot again. I can have our solicitor talk with you about your options.”

“That would be appreciated, though you don’t really need to do that,” said Snape.

Tony snorted. “Lily would haunt me if I didn’t. So, tell me your version of what’s happened since Harry showed up at Hogwarts.”

“Fine,” Snape said with a sigh. “You won’t like it.”

“I already don’t like Harry’s version, and he lacks the vantage point you have. Shoot.”

Tony ate lunch while Snape talked and provided more context for Harry’s stories. He mentioned his meeting with McGonagall and her reaction to his concerns about school safety.

“Yes,” said Snape. “I’ve had a few conversations with her about the same topic. They haven’t gone well.”

“Did she take a loyalty oath to Dumbledore?”

“Not to my knowledge, but I can check. Did you want me to see if Poppy’s had any undue influence?”

“That would be helpful, yes,” said Tony. “Harry’s never had a check-up at school.”

“And students are supposed to go in during their first month for a check-up unless they’ve arranged to be seen solely by a private healer,” Snape finished. “My students have a sign-up sheet in their common room and the prefects make sure everyone makes it to their appointment or gets confirmation from their personal healer. From what the other heads of house have said, they usually do the same.”

“Harry missing it one year, that I could understand. All three?” Tony gestured with his chopsticks. “Something’s not right. Crispian asked him outright, and Harry said that he’d only been sent to see Madam Pomfrey when he’d been injured. He wasn’t even sent for a cursory exam after he was nearly killed by a basilisk!”

Snape shook his head. “I will address it with Poppy. She’s normally meticulous about her records, and very fierce about making sure the students under her care are well.”

“What’s the school’s policy on reporting evidence of abuse?” Tony asked.

“Legally, we’re obliged to report it to Wizarding Social Services,” said Snape. “They are occasionally helpful, but I’ve found it challenging to get them to do proper follow-up in cases of pureblood families accused of child abuse. Pomona tells me she finds much the same thing with Muggleborn students.”

“The joys of privilege and bigotry,” Tony murmured. 

“They were essentially useless when I was a child,” Snape stated. “They’ve improved.”

“Not enough, but that’s beside the point,” said Tony. “If we can get rid of Dumbledore and remove your Dark Mark, will you treat Harry like a human being?”

“If those are possible, then yes,” said Snape. “How would you get rid of the Dark Mark? I’ve tried.”

“Oh, I have friends,” said Tony. “Friends who like to tinker with weird magics. One of them will probably help me and Crispian dig that Horcrux out of Harry’s head. Once we’ve done that, I’m sure she’ll be up for seeing if she can again do the impossible.”

“One of those, eh?” said Snape. “There is very little I would not do to be free of it, Tony.”

“I know, Severus,” said Tony.

**********************************************

Tony kept quiet about his discussion with Snape. Harry was still mulling over the revelation that his father had been all too human. He didn’t bring the topic up the rest of the week, which was taken up with homework, reading, movies, and learning how to use a computer. Tony dealt with the flurry of correspondence that his inquiries had produced, and built a very detailed crime board in his suite. Then, on Saturday, he reluctantly accompanied Harry, Hermione, and Crispian to see _Revenge of the Sith_. It was as bad as he’d thought it would be, but Harry was thrilled with it.

Tony decided to point Harry toward the Star Wars extended universe books. He hadn’t read very many of them, but he’d heard that a lot fof them were good. They didn’t have any of those at the house, so he took them on a trip to the bookstore after the movie was over. Harry had started reading more than one book at once. He was halfway through _The Fellowship of the Ring_ , but had gotten distracted by some of Hermione’s recommendations. He’d also been finishing his summer homework more quickly than Tony had expected. Tony had read through Harry’s essays and been very happy with the quality. When asked, Harry had produced some of his earlier work, and Tony compared the two. He wasn’t sure if it was the environment or having enough food, but Harry’s work had definitely improved.

After they had picked up Harry’s new passport, they got ready to go to the States. Tony got Harry some luggage that looked non-magical and booked a private Portkey. He would pick it up from the Portkey Office, take it home, and activate it there. 

Harry and Clive worked out a way for Harry to write to Ron and for Ron to write back without giving away his location. He sent Hedwig to Ron with a letter with a sheet of stamps, explaining that he was staying with some of his other relatives and that they were going to let him use their post office box for letters. He told Ron to use only one stamp, and to put it in the upper right-hand corner of the envelope. He would send replies with Hedwig, but she wouldn’t be able to stay and wait for a reply. While Harry and Tony were in the States, Clive would put the letters received from Ron in the post exchange box that would transport the letters to Tony’s box. Harry would write replies and send them back the same way, and then Clive would give them to Hedwig. Hedwig, unfortunately, needed to stay at Paddington House. Harry was reluctant to say goodbye to her, but agreed that she’d be safer there for now.

“Got everything?” Tony asked when he got back from the Portkey Office on Wednesday. 

“I think so,” said Harry. “I’ve never taken a Portkey. Is it as bad as Apparating?”

Tony shrugged. “Depends on how you react to it. There’s some spinning, and international Portkeys are more disorienting than local ones, so you might experience some motion sickness. Grab hold!”

Harry grabbed his suitcase with one hand and the Portkey with the other. Tony activated it and the world began to spin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Harry arrive in DC.

**Washington, DC**

When the world settled again, Harry dropped his suitcase and frantically looked around the room. He staggered over to the nearest trashcan and vomited. 

“Welcome to the United States of America,” a woman standing behind a desk said. “Oh...oh you poor thing. First international Portkey?”

“First portkey ever,” said Tony. He set his own luggage down and went to Harry. “Keep breathing, kiddo,” he said. 

“That was horrible,” said Harry. “Can we fly back?”

“I’ll think about it,” Tony promised. 

The customs official came over with a glass of water. “Here,” she said. “Drink this slowly. I always find water helps.”

“Thanks,” said Harry accepting the glass and taking a sip.

“Sit down,” the woman said, leading Harry to a chair by the wall. “I’m Melinda Williams, and I work for the magical branch of the US Border Patrol. Do you have your identification?”

Tony produced their passports for her. She took them to her desk, scanned them with a passport reader and then asked, “And what connection do you have to each other?”

“I’m Harry’s legal guardian,” said Tony, producing another document. She took it, looked it over, made a few notes on her computer, and returned it, along with their passports.

“Will you be applying for any visas for Harry?” she asked. 

“For the moment, he’s here as a visitor while I get my life and work sorted out to move back to the UK,” Tony replied. “We don’t plan to be here long enough for him to require a formal visa. If that situation changes, we’ll submit the relevant paperwork.”

“Thank you, Agent DiNozzo.”

Tony took a closer look at her. “Have we met?” he asked.

She laughed. “No, but I’m dating your friend Steve. He has a few pictures of you around his apartment.”

Tony grinned. “Nice to meet you. He has mentioned a Melinda – I just didn’t connect you to him. Sure you don’t want to do a full search on me, just so you can tell him about it?”

Melinda smirked. “Oh, it’s tempting, but he’s assured me that you are very taken, and I don’t really feel the need to make him jealous.”

“Good for you,” said Tony. “I’m a cop, I can definitely tell you that jealousy is overrated. Harry, you ready to go?”

Harry stood, a bit shaky, but looking much better. “I meant it about taking a plane back,” he said.

“We can always try dosing you with an anti-nausea potion and see if it helps,” Tony offered. He grabbed his stuff and Harry’s. 

Melinda opened the door for him. “I’ll tell Steve you’re back. If you’re moving to England, he’ll want to come round for a visit.”

“Please,” said Tony. “Maybe you two can come for dinner while we’re here. Have a great day!”

Harry followed Tony through the corridors of the Portkey Office and out to their main entrance. “Take my arm, we’re going to Apparate,” said Tony. 

Harry groaned, but did as Tony asked. The Apparition took them to the parking garage of an apartment building. “We’re upstairs,” said Tony. He set down one suitcase to unlock a door in the garage with a key. 

Several flights of stairs later, Tony was unlocking another door, typing something into a security system, and tweaking the wards to let Harry in. “Welcome to my humble abode,” said Tony. “For now, you’ll be in the spare room. I usually use it as an office, but it does have a bed.” 

He showed Harry the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen. He checked in the fridge and found some juice. He’d put a stasis spell on the fridge before he’d left so nothing had gone off. Once Harry had finished his juice, Tony said, “You look like you need a nap. How late did you stay up last night?”

“But first Gandalf died, and then Boromir died!” said Harry. “I had to keep reading!”

Tony laughed. “Go rest for a bit. I’ll wake you up early enough so you can go to bed at a normal time tonight. We’re five hours ahead of DC so it’ll feel a bit weird for a few days.”

Harry yawned. “Okay.” He stumbled off to his room and shut the door. Tony watched him go and realized he was feeling parental again. It was a new feeling and not one he’d gotten used to yet.

Tony kicked off his shoes, showered (since Portkeys made him feel off), and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt. Then he collapsed onto his bed, summoned his phone, and called Gibbs.

“Is this a bad time?” Tony asked.

“Give me a moment,” said Jethro. Tony heard movement and a door shutting. “You home?”

“Yeah, we’re here, everything’s good, and I just sent my kid to bed for a nap because he stayed up too late reading. Who the hell decided I would be a good parent?”

Tony could hear Jethro’s smile over the phone. “Sounds like you’re doing fine. How long do you plan to be here?”

“A couple of weeks, maybe more. I need to talk to Morrow and see if there’s a transfer available to the Resident Unit in the UK. If not, I’ll probably need to resign.”

“Should I come over for dinner?” Jethro asked. He didn’t comment on Tony’s statement about moving. They’d discussed it a bit in earlier conversations, but Jethro had stated that he would rather talk about it in person.

“Would you? I’ve missed you, and I want you to meet Harry.” Tony paused. “I know you didn’t sign up for me with a kid...”

“If I had a problem with it, you would already know, Tony. I’ll pick up takeout. What do you want?”

“Still haven’t introduced Harry to Chinese food yet. Order the usual for me, and a few different things for him. He’s a teenage boy, and eats like one.”

Jethro laughed. “So, just like you. I’ll see you tonight. We’re just finishing up the paperwork for our last case, so I’ll be out on time.”

“Okay,” said Tony. “See you then.” Jethro hung up and Tony stared at his ceiling for a few minutes, before dialing Morrow’s assistant to schedule an appointment. Once he’d set something up for the next day, he switched on his alarm clock and let himself fall asleep for an hour or two.

************************************************

Jethro called in an order to his preferred Chinese restaurant right before he left work, and headed straight there. He over-ordered, but figured that what they didn’t eat would make a decent breakfast. He took a deep breath when he parked his truck out in front of Tony’s building. Tony and he had been avoiding talking about what would happen to their relationship when Tony resettled in the UK, but Tony had been very open about not wanting to uproot Harry more than necessary. Jethro didn’t say it out loud, but Tony’s insistence on doing what was best for Harry just made him more certain about their relationship.

He hauled the food upstairs and used his key to let himself in. Tony was in the kitchen, brewing coffee. When Jethro set the bags of food on the counter, Tony practically flung himself into Jethro’s arms. 

“Oh, sorry,” said an unfamiliar voice with a British accent. 

Jethro pulled his mouth away from Tony’s, but didn’t let go of his partner. He turned to see a scrawny kid with messy hair and big glasses, book in hand, staring at them. 

“Don’t apologize,” said Jethro. “You must be Harry. I’m Jethro, Tony’s partner.” He carefully detached himself from Tony, and approached Harry, offering his hand.

Harry solemnly shook it. “Hi,” he said. “And really, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s okay,” said Tony. “I would have called for you in a minute anyway. Jethro brought dinner. Remember how I told you that you needed to try Chinese food?”

“Yeah, you and Hermione and Crispian made me a list of all the foods I have to try,” said Harry. 

“Well, this,” said Tony, opening one bag and removing cartons, “is American-influenced Chinese food. Actual Chinese food is a bit different; this is what happens when not all traditional ingredients are available and immigrants are serving food that they end up adjusting to the tastes of their customers. This is delicious, though. We’ll do authentic Chinese food at some point, too.”

“You said that about Indian food,” said Harry.

“Of course,” said Tony. “Just because Britain lives on chicken tikka masala is no excuse to avoid proper Indian food. Not saying you should skip the tikka masala, because that stuff is fantastic.”

“I’ve only had it at school, but I really liked it there,” said Harry. “Aunt Petunia wouldn’t even make basic curry because Uncle Vernon hated it. What’s this?” He pointed to a carton.

“Those are Szechuan noodles,” said Tony. “A bit spicy but I’ve always liked them.” He summoned a few plates from the cupboard and dug into a drawer for utensils. “You haven’t tried eating with chopsticks yet, have you?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t mind learning,” he said.

Tony handed him a set of chopsticks and a fork. “Just in case. They take practice. Help yourself to whatever you want, and don’t forget to take your nutrient potion first.”

Harry made a gagging noise and started filling his plate. Tony passed a plate to Jethro. “I made coffee for you,” he said. “Should be just about ready.”

“Thanks,” said Jethro. He caught Tony’s shoulder and pulled him close for a swift kiss. Tony’s bright smile made Jethro smile back. “You’re doing great, by the way,” he said, nodding his head towards Harry.

“Are we eating at the table?” Harry asked, plate full. He pulled a phial of green stuff out of one pocket, downed it quickly, and then washed it down with a swallow of juice.

“I was thinking of subjecting you to another movie, if Jethro will put up with it,” said Tony. 

“Which one?” Jethro asked.

“Oh, a little film called _Labyrinth_.” The expression on Jethro’s face made Tony laugh. “Please? Harry’s never seen it. Plus he told me that his aunt said David Bowie was a minion of Satan.”

“David Bowie’s in this movie?” Harry asked. “I saw a picture of him once in a shop and Aunt Petunia practically exploded when she saw it.”

Jethro shrugged. “Kelly used to love it,” he said. “So sure, why not?”

Tony reached over and squeezed Jethro’s hand. “We can pick another one if you want.”

He shook his head. “I liked watching it with her. Haven’t watched it since, and it might be nice to see it again.”

They settled in the living room with their food. Harry had inhaled half of his before Tony got the movie going and went back for another helping. Jethro enjoyed watching the movie again, experiencing it with one person he loved and another person he figured he would learn to care about very quickly. Harry headed off to bed once the movie was over, exhausted by the time difference. 

Tony put the leftovers away, and stood in the kitchen, fidgeting. “So, we probably need to talk about this,” he said.

“Yeah, I guess we do,” said Jethro. He cleared his throat. “I know that we can make a long-distance relationship work if we have to, but I’d rather see if there’s a spot for me at the UK RU, too.”

Tony froze. “You want to come with me.”

“Yeah,” said Jethro. “What, did you think I was going to dump you because you have a kid who needs you?”

“I didn’t really know,” said Tony. “I know you’re good with kids, but then there’s Shannon and Kelly. I just didn’t want to push.”

Jethro took a step forward and cupped Tony’s face in his hands. “I want you to push here,” he said. “I’m all in, if you are.” He pressed a kiss to Tony’s mouth.

Tony lifted shaking hands to wrap around Jethro’s shoulders. “I’m in,” he whispered, and pulled Jethro back for another kiss. When they drew apart for air, Tony said, “So, does ‘all in’ mean you’d marry me?”

“What kind of a proposal is that?” Jethro teased. “But yes, I will.”

Tony’s smile was bright enough to light up the room. “Awesome,” he said. “Come on, I think it’s bedtime.” 

Jethro reeled him in for one more deep kiss before he let Tony haul him off to the bedroom for the night.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets the NCIS team.

**Washington, DC**

Tony woke when Jethro rolled out of bed at 5:30. He groaned. “What are you doing?”

“Going for a run,” said Jethro. He kissed Tony’s forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

“Murgh,” said Tony, rolling over and pulling the blankets over his head. He woke up again forty minutes later when he heard the shower turn on. For that, he decided he could get up before 7, even though he didn’t need to be in to work at the usual time.

Once Tony and Jethro had finished their shower, Tony pulled on pajama pants and a robe in case Harry woke up early and wandered out to the kitchen to get the coffee started. Jethro emerged from the bedroom a couple minutes later, dressed for work in some of the clothes he kept at Tony’s place.

“Coffee soon,” said Tony. “Eggs?”

“If you’re making them,” said Jethro. He dug through one of the cupboards and pulled out the frying pan.  
“We could always do leftover Chinese,” said Tony.

“I’ll leave that for you and the kid. I saw his face when he was eating last night. He never had Chinese food before?”

Tony shook his head and started heating the pan. “His aunt and uncle didn’t feed him properly to begin with. I’m honestly surprised he doesn’t have rickets, but he does have issues related to malnourishment. Hence the nutrient potions.”

“That looked disgusting,” said Jethro, checking on the coffee.

“It tastes like pond scum,” said Tony. “But potions mostly taste bad – adding flavouring messes with their effectiveness so we mostly just learn to swallow them quickly. The potions regimen and some healing sessions we did with Crispian are getting him back on track, but it’s going to take time. Anyway,” he said, breaking eggs into the pan, “his aunt and uncle are also of that particular class of Brits who don’t like foreign things. They’re racist, bigoted, and abusive people who don’t seem to have any redeeming qualities that I’ve been able to detect. Harry’s closest experience to exotic food is what is served at Hogwarts, and that’s mostly standard English fare with a traditional wizarding foods.”

The coffeemaker dinged. Jethro poured himself a cup and then poured one for Tony. He went to the fridge and found the hazelnut creamer and added it to Tony’s coffee and passed the mug to him. Tony thanked him with a kiss. 

“I still can’t get over that name. Who decided ‘Hogwarts’ was a good name for a school?”

“My theory is that it was something different at its founding that then morphed over time into sounding like Hogwarts. Anyway, they don’t usually take international students so no one’s complained about the lack of diversity in the food. From what Harry and Hermione tell me, it’s good food, albeit a bit heavy. But growing magicals need a lot of calories so that makes sense.” Tony dug a loaf of bread out of the fridge and put a couple slices in the toaster.

“What’s still on your list for him to try? Maybe we could knock a few things off of it this week.”

“Sushi, Thai, pho, Mexican, proper Italian, which I will make for him, and a few other things. We did pizza and shawarma last week. He mostly ate what Lizbet cooked and she’s pretty big on balanced meals with lots of vegetables. We also need to hit the other continental cuisines. I gather his uncle wasn’t keen on anything he perceived as ‘not English’ and his aunt was happy to make Harry cook whatever her husband and son preferred.”

“They made Harry cook...help with the cooking?” Jethro took the toast when it popped. “You want some?”

“Nah, not right now,” said Tony, plating the eggs. “And I meant cooking. Harry says he can’t remember when he didn’t make breakfast for the family and he usually did a lot of the work for dinners, too. In addition to as many of the chores as they thought he was capable of doing.”

Jethro shook his head. “What’s happening to them?”

“Well, they’ve had illegal custody of a minor for the last twelve years,” said Tony. “Accessories to kidnapping, fraud, theft of monies from said minor’s estate, and we’re providing copies of Harry’s medical records so he won’t have to testify about the abuse and neglect...they’ve been arrested, charged, and right now CPS is putting the rest of the case together. All I did was set a Gringotts investigate team on the job and they did the rest. It didn’t take much.” He sat down at the table across from Jethro and wrapped his hands around his coffee mug. “All their neighbours are surprisingly eager to testify against them now that the Gringotts team has negated the wards around the property.”

“They weren’t before?” Jethro scooped eggs onto his toast and took a bite.

Tony shook his head. “There was a variation of what we call a Notice-Me-Not spell built into the wards. I can’t speak for intent, but the result was that when neighbours observed Harry’s treatment and physical condition, it was overlooked. The memory was still there, though, so once the wards were no longer active, they were able to act on what they had seen. There was a rash of phone calls to Social Services once the wards were dismantled.”

“That’s disturbing,” said Jethro. “Does that happen here, with magical families?”

Tony shrugged. “I can’t say for certain,” he said. “Wizarding Social Services in Britain, is, according to one of the teachers at Hogwarts, not that helpful in comparison to its non-magical counterpart. Here, though, the two are a bit more integrated so the magical version is a little more on top of things. You and I both know that CPS is a mixed bag; most of the people there want to help but have limited resources and don’t always know whether or not pulling a kid out of a situation will be the best option. 

“Those spells on the Dursleys’ house are troubling, though. We do have a few isolationists among the magical community but we have the same in the non-magical community. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people who were using similar spells, and I’m going to pass the information on to a contact I have in the magical branch of CPS so they can make use of it. It’s all I can do right now.”

Jethro nodded and finished his breakfast. “I need to get to work,” he said. “When are you due in?”

“I have an appointment with Morrow at 11, so we’ll try to be there by 10:30 at the latest. Maybe earlier.” Tony grinned. “Can’t wait to see what Kate and McGee make of it.”

Jethro chuckled. “Me, too. Let’s take the kid for lunch – we can do Thai.” He stood, put his dishes in the sink, and then leaned over to kiss Tony goodbye before he left. “See you later.”

Tony poured himself another cup of coffee, grabbed his laptop, and checked in on the news from the ICW. Clepsydra had been keeping him updated on the investigation. Dumbledore had already been charged with a number of offenses, but every day brought something new and horrible. He was turning out to be the worst kind of dark lord – the kind who believed what he was doing was both necessary and good. The newest kicker was that he and Gellert Grindelwald had been an item back in the day, and it was Dumbledore who had coined Grindelwald’s motto, ‘For the Greater Good.’ Tony flinched at that. He hadn’t been born until after Grindelwald had been imprisoned and his followers scattered, but he remembered his grandfather’s stories about the horror of trying to deal with Nazis on the non-magical side and Grindelwald on the other. 

The ICW couldn’t charge their now-former Supreme Mugwump for having an ex-boyfriend who turned into a Dark Lord, but they were now putting greater scrutiny on his defeat of Grindelwald. Dumbledore had built his reputation on that battle. Clepsydra said the interview for that (under Veritaserum, as allowed by his employment contract) would be today. 

Tony signed out of his email and pulled up a couple of news sites. He was reading through the latest about what was going on Iraq when Harry wandered into the kitchen, still in his pajamas.

“Good morning,” said Tony. “Sleep well?”

Harry nodded and went straight to the tea kettle sitting on the stove. He filled it with water from the sink and turned the stove on. He stood there staring at the kettle. 

“It’s not going to boil that quickly,” said Tony. “Did you want leftovers for breakfast or something else?”

“Leftovers are good,” said Harry. “Were there a lot?”

“Yup,” said Tony. “Feels like Jethro brought half the menu.”

Harry paused in opening the fridge. “Where is he?”

“Work,” said Tony. “NCIS work day for our team starts at 7:30. We’re going in later this morning and he and I planned to take you out to lunch and introduce you to Thai food.”

Harry, loading up a plate with leftover rice, paused. “You know, I really am sorry that I’ve upended your life like this. I didn’t really think about that when I asked Remus to contact you.”

Tony set down his coffee mug and shut his laptop. “Look, Harry, that’s not something you need to feel guilty about. No child should be in the kind of situation you were in, and you should have had adults step in to help much sooner. I’m honoured that you’ve trusted me to look after you. Let Jethro and I worry about our jobs and relocation. That’s our responsibility, not yours.”

“Is he coming, too?” Harry asked, sitting down with his food. He took a bite.

“If you want to warm it up, the microwave’s over there,” said Tony. “And yes, Jethro and I talked last night and figured out that he’s coming to England with us."

Harry took a couple more bites and decided to warm up his food. He carefully pressed the buttons on the microwave (the Dursleys had one but he was rarely allowed to touch it, lest he break it) and took the now-boiling kettle off the burner and poured hot water over the tea bag in the mug he’d picked out.

“That’s cool,” said Harry.

“I know you don’t really know him,” said Tony, watching Harry carefully. “But he’s a good man and he’s one of the few people in the world I would trust with you right now.”

Harry smiled at that. “I picked that up last night,” he said. “He’s safe.”

“How can you tell?” Tony asked.

Harry shrugged, and sat down back down with his newly warmed-up food. “I don’t know, just something about him feels like he won’t hurt me. It’s—I think it’s a magic thing, but I’ve always sort of known whether an adult is someone I can trust or not. Most of them weren’t. It’s weird, like I knew I could trust Remus enough to talk to but that I wasn’t entirely safe around him, where Professor Snape is the opposite. I know he’ll protect me but he doesn’t like me very much. And I want to like Professor Dumbledore but there’s something off about him.” Harry downed some of his tea. “Anyway, I knew I could trust you when we met. Jethro feels really similar to you that way. The rest of the family feel safe, too.”

“Interesting,” said Tony. “There are several magical abilities that could be. When we have a little more time and you’re not playing catch-up with Arithmancy, we should see if we can figure out what that is.”

“Cool,” said Harry. “So, when do we need to leave?”

Tony checked the time. “Hour, hour and a half,” he said. “You have time to eat, shower, and email Hermione.”

Harry blushed slightly. Tony grinned and went to get his own plate of leftover Chinese food.

******************************************

Harry followed Tony through security, _Lord of the Rings_ in hand. Tony had said that there would probably be some waiting and he might want to bring it. Tony navigated them through security and the entrance hallways to the elevator. “Oh, just so you won’t be blinded – the walls in our office are orange, and no, I have no idea why,” said Tony.

“Really?” said Harry as the doors opened. He blinked. “Oh, Merlin, why?”

“Try not to use Merlin,” Tony said quietly. “God is more appropriate for swearing by, even with Kate here.”

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. “How do you not need glasses working here?” Harry asked.

Tony shrugged. “You get used to it. Hey, Gibbs, they decided Harry was allowed through security!” He steered Harry towards his own desk.

“You were worried they’d think he was a threat?” Gibbs asked. “Hey, Harry. How are you?”

“I’m fine,” said Harry. Tony pulled out his computer chair for Harry and Harry sat. He looked at Tony’s desk, taking everything in. He pointed to the stapler.

“What is that?”

“That, my dear cousin, is Mighty Mouse,” said Tony. “He is an iconic character who originated during WWII, and who has starred in multiple short films and cartoons, most recently in a show made during the late 1980s. I have recordings. We will watch them.”

McGee wandered over. “Who’s this, Tony? And I thought you were on leave.”

“Oh, I’m back, Probie, but only to sort my life out,” said Tony. “This is my cousin, Harry, the reason for my being on leave. Harry, this is Tim McGee, our probationary agent and computer guy.”

“Hi,” said Harry with a wave.

Kate marched over. “Someone gave you a kid, DiNozzo? Why would someone do that?”

Harry stiffened. “He’s loads better than my last guardians,” he said. 

Tony intervened. “Hey, Kate, we’ve got a bit before my meeting with Morrow. Want to go grab coffee with me? Harry, did you want hot chocolate, coffee, tea?”

Harry made the chair spin a bit. “I dunno,” he said.

“Oh, have you tried chai yet?” Tony asked. “The coffee shop we usually goes to serves spiced black tea with milk and sugar, inspired by Indian tea. You might like that.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed. 

“Gibbs will be here, and if anything happens, he’ll look after you,” Tony promised. “We’re going to that coffee shop I pointed out when we drove up here, so it’s not far.” He handed Harry his cell phone. “If you need me, dial the number in the address book labeled ‘Caitlyn Todd’ since she’ll be with me. Okay?”

Harry nodded, and opened his book. 

“Kate?” said Tony.

Kate had watched the whole exchange like she was trying to make sense of it all. “Oh, yeah,” she said, following him into the elevator.

After the doors closed, Tony said, “Okay, Kate, really?”

She sighed. “Sorry, DiNozzo, it was my kneejerk reaction. You don’t even like kids.”

“I don’t like snotty kids,” said Tony. “Harry’s about as far from that as you can get. Please go easy on him. His dad was my cousin, and both his parents died when he was small. He went to live with his mom’s sister, and she and her husband just got arrested for child abuse and neglect. I’m the next closest relative available.”

Kate hissed. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ll apologize to him when we get back.” The doors to the elevator slid open at the ground floor. “So you’ve been in England the last couple weeks?”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “There was paperwork, and more paperwork, and he had to see a doctor, and my aunt and I had to take him clothes shopping since pretty much nothing he had was decent, and we had to get his passport so I could bring him here and that took a week, and I’ve been teaching him how to use a computer since his aunt and uncle wouldn’t let him near theirs...it’s been a long two weeks.”

“That sounds insane,” she said. “He looks so tiny. How old is he?”

“He turns fourteen at the end of the month,” said Tony. At her shocked expression he said, “Yeah, I know. We’ve got him on some nutrition supplements and medications to help out, and he’s basically under doctor’s orders to eat lots. Given that he’s a teenage boy, that’s usually not too hard, even though he’s used to skipping meals. I was going to grab him something at the coffee shop to go with his tea.” He sighed. “It could be worse. He goes to a boarding school that his parents arranged and paid for so his aunt and uncle couldn’t get out of sending him. He’s been there for three years and they have decent food, so during the school year he hasn’t been starving.”

Kate pushed the door to the coffee shop open. “How tight is the case against his relatives?” she asked.

“The last I heard from our solicitor, who is communicating with the Crown Prosecution Service, they’re very certain they’ll get a conviction if it goes to court. I kind of wish they wouldn’t settle, but there’s more of a chance that Harry would be asked to testify if they’re tried, so mostly I hope they’ll take whatever deal CPS is willing to offer.”

Kate whistled. “I really am sorry about what I said. I just...I’ve never seen you as a dad sort of person.”

Tony laughed at that. “I didn’t either. It was beyond surreal the first time I told him to turn out his lights and go to sleep or he’d regret it in the morning when he was doing his homework. He goes to a school that assigns homework over the summer, and I’ve just gotten him switched into a math class that’ll challenge and interest him more, so he’s playing catch-up for that.”

Kate ordered for them, looking at Tony to confirm the chai for Harry and to pick a muffin for him. Each team member knew everyone else’s preferred coffee orders. “Should we get something for Abby?” she asked.

“Nah,” said Tony. “They don’t have Caff-Pow! here, so there’s no point in that.” He grimaced. “I’m not really sure how she’s going to react to Harry.” He handed the cashier a twenty and a ten. “This is on me,” he said. 

“Thanks,” said Kate. “Why are you worried about Abby? She’ll think Harry’s adorable. He’s like a puppy who needs a home.”

Tony and Kate stepped over to the side to wait for their drinks. “She’s going to lose it when she finds out I’m here to see if I can transfer to the UK.”

Kate tapped her foot on the floor. “Oh. Yeah, I can see that. Harry’s from there, right?”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “I’m a dual citizen because of my mom, so moving back there isn’t an issue in that sense, but there’s a pretty solid chance I’m going to have to leave NCIS entirely. I’m not willing to take Harry away from his friends, and I’m not about to try parenting from a different country, even if he is in school most of the year.”

His partner made a face. “That just seems like a recipe for disaster. When does he finish school?”

“He’s got another four years at the one he’s attending right now, and then we’ll be talking about university. So far, Harry’s connected really well with my aunt and uncle and cousin, but I’m his guardian. I’m the one who’s promised to make sure he’s okay. Unless he decides to go to college here in the States, I’m probably over in Britain for the next eight to ten years.”

The barista finished Kate’s drink, so she picked it up and took a sip. “Yeah, Abby’s not going to be happy about someone from her little family taking off across the ocean. I’m glad you’re putting your kid first, though.”

Tony shrugged. “Not like I could do anything else,” he said.

*************************************************

By the time they got back with the coffee, Tim was trying to make awkward small talk with Harry, who looked like he would rather read his book.

“Wait, you’ve never played any video games? At all? What kind of teenager are you?” Tony heard Tim say when they walked into the bullpen. He shot his fiancé a look, but Gibbs just shrugged his shoulders and accepted the coffee Kate handed to him. 

“The kind who wasn’t allowed to play video games?” said Harry. “I wasn’t really allowed to watch the telly either.”

Tony handed Harry his chai and a bag with a multigrain muffin. Harry smiled. “Thanks, Tony,” he said. “Um, is it bad that I don’t know anything about video games, other than them being loud and having lots of shooting?”

“Why would it be bad?” Tony asked, sitting on top of his desk. “Once you’re more comfortable on the computer, you can give them a try, but I get veto rights on the game. Some of them have really violent content and I don’t think you’re old enough for that.”

Tim stared at Tony. “Who are you and what did you do with Tony?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Still Tony, McGee. Have you ever heard me argue that kids should be allowed to play Mature-rated video games? That argument was all you.”

Tim huffed. “Not all of them are bad!” he protested. “It should be on a case by case basis!”

“You still aren’t allowed to expose my kid to Grand Theft Auto,” said Tony. “Let me get him comfortable using Google and then you can come over and introduce him to Mario. I have dibs on Oregon Trail, though.”

Harry gulped some chai and said, to interrupt to discussion, “This is great, Tony. What did you say was in this?”

“Black tea, spices, milk, sugar,” said Tony. He glanced at his watch. “Come on upstairs with me, Harry,” he said. “Bring your book and stuff. Gibbs and I have a meeting with Morrow and I don’t really want you farther than just outside his office.”

“You left him here to go get coffee,” said Tim.

“I left him with Gibbs while I went to get coffee,” said Tony. “Gibbs will shoot first and ask questions later. I like you, McGeek, but I’m too paranoid to leave him with you and Kate. Blame it on being a new parent.”

McGee rolled his eyes. “He’s a teenager, not a baby.”

Harry shoved his book and muffin into the bookbag he’d brought along, and stood, clutching his cup of tea in both hands. “Where do we go?” he asked.

“Thataway,” said Tony, pointing towards the stairs. “Follow Gibbs.”

Once they got into the director’s outer office, introduced Harry to Cynthia, and found him a seat, Harry had relaxed a little. “Am I that much of a freak?” he asked Tony quietly.

Tony shook his head. “No. Plenty of kids your age are into video games, but McGee’s kind of fixated on them. They’re his normal, so he has a hard time thinking outside the X-Box.”

Gibbs snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.” McGee, for all his skill with computers, had more than a touch of tunnel vision. 

“The Director’s ready for you right now,” said Cynthia. 

“Okay, we’ll be right in there,” said Tony. “Cynthia will keep an eye on you, and you still have my phone. Call Gibbs’ number if you need us or just come running in if something goes crazy out here, okay?”

Harry nodded. He pulled his book back out and found where he’d marked his place. Tea in one hand, book in the other, he focused in on The Two Towers. He drank his tea, finished off the muffin, and lost himself in the Fangorn Forest. 

Tony and Gibbs emerged from the Director’s office about half an hour later, Tony saying, “We’ll talk about it later.” 

Harry blinked and looked up from his book. “How’d it go?” he asked.

“About how I expected it to,” said Gibbs. He looked at his watch. “I’ll meet you at the entrance in about an hour?”

“Sure,” said Tony easily. “Come on, Harry, I want to introduce you to Ducky.”

When they got down the stairs, back into the bullpen, a woman dressed like no one Harry had ever seen was waiting for them. “Tony!” she shouted. “I thought you weren’t going to be back yet! Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?”

Tony accepted a hug from her. “I’m not on vacation, Abbs,” he said. “I’m on family leave.” He detached himself from her, and turned to Harry, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “This is my cousin Harry. He’s going to be living with me from now on.”

“Since when do you have a cousin Harry?” Abby demanded, hands on hips. “You’ve never mentioned him. I don’t think I’ve heard you say anything about your family; I didn’t know you had anyone to take family leave for.”

“Maybe I just don’t talk about my family at work very often,” Tony retorted. 

“Um, Abby, maybe you should tone it down a little,” McGee suggested, looking up from his computer. 

“Why?” said Abby. “Tony just disappeared and then he pops back up with a kid in tow who looks nothing like him and expects us to believe that they’re related?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “How much do you resemble your second cousins, Abby? Maybe someone in the family tree was adopted, for all you know.”

“I could run a DNA test,” Abby said. “So you can prove he’s family and not some random kid.”

“No,” said Tony. “And it’s really rude of you to even suggest that. Come on, Harry, I was going to take you downstairs to meet Ducky. Abby, leave us alone while we’re still at NCIS. You’re scaring Harry.”

Harry had shrunk behind his guardian during this exchange, and he happily followed Tony towards the safety of the elevator.

“We’re not done here, mister!” said Abby.

“Then let’s have this discussion where you pry into my private life with inappropriate questions somewhere that’s not work,” said Tony, pushing the button to shut the elevator door.

As the doors closed, they heard Gibbs say, “What the hell was that, Sciuto?” Tony winced a bit at the tone in his fiancé’s voice, but turned his attention to Harry instead.

“What was that?” Harry asked.

“That was Abigail Sciuto, our forensics expert. She’s good at her job, but has a tendency to be manipulative and a bit entitled. She’s usually fine, but once in a while, she gets weird about stuff.” Tony sighed. “She is not to know about magic, by the way. She’s on the no-go list at the MBI. I didn’t look into her file, but either they feel she’s a risk, or she proved herself a risk in the past. If we had to do magic in front of her in an emergency situation, she would have to be Obliviated.” 

“I checked, with my magic, when she was yelling at you,” said Harry. “She isn’t safe. And she’s not going to be happy about you leaving.”

“Nope,” said Tony. “And she is going to hit the roof when she finds out Gibbs is coming with us. She sees him as a father-figure.” The elevator doors slid open. “This way,” he said. “Ducky and his assistant Gerald know about magic. Most medical examiners do. They see too much weird shit not to get read in.”

Harry took in the quiet hallway, and then the door labeled “Autopsy.” “What did you say Ducky does?”

“He’s the medical examiner,” said Tony. “He examines dead bodies to determine cause of death.”

“Oh,” said Harry. He swallowed.

“Did you want me to check and see if he’s working on an autopsy right now?” Tony asked.

Harry nodded vigorously. He had gone pale. Mentally, all he could see were the Dementors. He shivered.

Tony stuck his head around the door. “It’s all clear, Harry,” he said. Then he turned and knelt down so he wasn’t towering over him. “This is part of my job,” he said quietly. “I forget sometimes that most people aren’t used to seeing dead bodies. I’m sorry. Ducky’s a great person, and I think you’d like him. But I can talk with him about meeting somewhere else if you aren’t comfortable going in there.”

Harry blinked a few times, trying to clear the spectres of the Dementors. “Sorry,” he said. “I just...I...Dementors.”

Tony squeezed Harry’s shoulder. “I should have thought about it. None of the dead here can harm you. They’re all beyond that.” His eyes looked sympathetic. “I know that doesn’t really help right now.”

“I can see Thestrals now,” Harry blurted out. “After the Dementors. Hermione thinks it’s because my memories of Mum dying aren’t subconscious anymore.”

Tony pulled Harry into a hug. “Fuck,” he said. Harry started a little at the language, unused to hearing adults react like that to his life, but relaxed into his guardian’s arms. He felt safe with Tony in a way he never had with any adult before. For once, he knew that an adult would do what they promised, and Tony had promised to protect him. 

Harry pulled himself together. He thought about Quirrell, about the basilisk, and about the Dementors. He didn’t need to be afraid here, because he wasn’t alone. “Let’s go in,” he said. 

Tony smiled. “Okay. Tell me if you aren’t comfortable,” he said, opening the door back up. “Ducky, I’ve brought you a visitor!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony's line about the word "Hogwarts" morphing over the centuries is a nod to flamethrower's fabulous series, Of A Linear Circle.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Jethro figure out their plans.

**Washington, DC**

Harry had liked Ducky. The man had been friendly, and had felt safe. After their encounter with Abby, that was reassuring. After a chat with Ducky and his assistant Gerald, whom Harry’s magic also said was trustworthy, Tony and Harry made their way out to the entrance of NCIS, where Gibbs was waiting for them. Gibbs walked with them to a nearby restaurant, where they each ordered different dishes so Harry could try a variety of foods. Tony insisted that he try Thai iced tea, along with pad thai, green curry, and Thai fried rice. Tony silently cast a privacy spell around their table so they could talk without avoiding magic.

“What happened in your meeting?” Harry asked after their food arrived.

Tony and Gibbs exchanged a glance. “Well, there is one position opening up at the Resident Unit in London,” said Tony. “Jethro will probably take that, and I’ll find something else.”

“I can always look for something else,” said Jethro. “You don’t have to leave NCIS just so I can stay on.”

“I have connections in England that you don’t,” Tony replied. “We’ll also have an easier time getting you a visa if you have a job already. We can get married in the magical community, but Britain did just legalize civil partnerships for same-sex couples, so we might want to take advantage of that.”

“Uncle Vernon was ranting about that last summer,” said Harry. “He thought it was a horrible idea.” Harry grinned. “You should do it, and then I could write to them and tell them that my guardians just had a civil union.”

“Canada’s just passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage,” said Tony. “At some point, the US will follow, but until then, the most we could do here is get married in the magical community and then sign a lot of paperwork to gain some of the same rights in the mundane world. I think the UK’s our best bet right now, anyway.”

“I agree,” said Jethro. “I hate the thought of you having to leave NCIS, but it makes sense.”

“Of course it does,” said Tony. “I really don’t mind, Jethro. Worst comes to worst, I could just help Uncle Clive manage some of his businesses for a bit until I find something.” His cell phone rang. He looked at the number on the screen. “I should take this.” He answered it, saying quietly, “This is DiNozzo.”

Harry went back to his food, and Jethro ate while watching the expressions on Tony’s face. When Tony said, “Send me an email with all the info about the job, so I can review it, but it’s a tentative yes. You know I’ve been griping about this for years.” He laughed. “Congratulations, Martine. You’re going to make history. Ouais, ouais, moi aussi. Nous régnerons sur le monde. Au revoir.” He hung up. 

“What was that?” Harry asked. 

“The call or the French at the end?” he asked. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard French spoken before.”

“Not very often,” Harry admitted. “Uncle Vernon...”

“Hates the French,” Tony finished. “Naturellement. That’s something you should probably be tutored in. You ought to have some Spanish, too.” He tapped his fork against his plate. “But we’ll sort that later. Martine has excellent timing. I have a job offer.”

“For what?” Jethro asked.

“The reform vote in the ICW passed today. All member nations must modernize their approaches to the Statute of Secrecy within eighteen months or face steep fines and possible loss of membership in the ICW. Martine wants me to be one of the ICW agents assigned to Britain’s Ministry of Magic to help with the changeover.” He smiled. “She says it’s my fault that it passed, since I made them arrest Dumbledore. He’s been trying to stall her for years, but without him to argue it, the anti-reform block fell apart. Martine claims it’s the least I can do to help her out here.”

“How will that change things?” Harry asked. 

Tony speared a piece of chicken from his curry. “So, I told you that here, we run background checks on non-magical people in magicals’ lives? It’s like having a security clearance. So at work, our director is read in because he’s in charge of a federal agency. Jethro knows because he stumbled across magic during an investigation, and passed the vetting process. He’s technically Dormant, but the person who evaluated him missed that at first. Ducky and Gerald both found out through work. Kate’s on my list of people I’m allowed to read in if it becomes necessary, as is Tim. I think I might ask Gareth to pull up Abby’s file, because if she’s labeled no-go, we should probably know whether that’s based on her background check or on previous history that required her to be Obliviated. My father had to be Obliviated because he turned out to be a security risk once he realized I was magical.”

“Who’s Gareth?”

“Gareth Lucian is my handler at the MBI,” said Tony. “You’ll probably get to meet him when I go in to talk with him about my transition over to the ICW. He keeps an eye on me and a few other MBI liasions, makes sure our cover stories stay intact on paper and on computer, contacts us when a case in our jurisdiction comes up, that sort of thing. He runs the checks on mundane people in my life who might need to be read in at some point.”

“Then we should let him know that Abby might be a problem,” said Jethro. “I had a talk with her before I sent her back to her lab, but my gut says she’s going to be trouble somehow.”

Tony groaned. “Of course she is. Harry’s got some intuition magic that tells him she isn’t trustworthy, and she just set off all my protective instincts when she was threatening to run Harry’s DNA.”

Jethro looked at Harry, who stared down at his plate. “I really don’t know how it works,” Harry mumbled. “I don’t use it that often but it’s been kind of stronger since I met Tony.”

Tony took another bite of curry. “I would guess Crispian’s healing sessions have something to do with that. Your core was a bit of a mess after everything you’ve been through. You’ll probably find that you have more power available for spellwork.” He picked up his iced tea. “But we’ll worry about that once we’re back home. You can practice outside of school without getting in trouble here. I’ll see if we can reform that law, too, because it’s biased against kids from non-magical families.”

“How so?” Jethro asked.

“They don’t actually put magic on kids’ wands to check and see if they’re using magic at home in Britain. It’s more than there’s an alert spell tied to properties that have magicals registered as living there. If the family has certain kinds of wards, that will negate the alert spell entirely, and if the family has magical adults in residence, any magic picked up there will be assumed to be from them, rather than the students.” Tony finished off his curry. “It’s bullshit, really. Harry could do magic off of his relatives’ property and not get in trouble for it, but if someone else cast magic at their house, he would be blamed for it.”

“That happened,” said Harry. “Did I tell you about Dobby, the house elf? He did magic at the Dursleys’ house because he wanted me to stay home from Hogwarts. He knew what Mr. Malfoy was planning and didn’t want me to get killed.”

Tony leaned back in his seat. “I don’t think you mentioned him, no. But that is very interesting. House elves don’t typically act against their bonded masters unless they are violating the House Elf Accords or the bond is very weak.”

“Well, he doesn’t belong to the Malfoys anymore,” said Harry. “So I guess that meant the bond was weak?”

Tony sat back up. “What do you mean?”

Harry recounted the story of how he freed Dobby. Tony’s eyebrows went up. “When we get back to the UK, I want you to call Dobby. House elves bond with magical humans because their magic is pure wild magic. Unchecked, it can and will destabilize and kill them well before their time. They evolved a way to moderate that by bonding with us so that they could survive and use their magic safely. You freed Dobby, so it’s your responsibility to make sure that he’s well.”

Harry’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry!”

“Of course you didn’t know,” said Tony, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How much have you learned about house elves at school?”

“Ron told me they mostly belong to wealthy families...”

“Because a lot of the older magical families are well-off,” said Tony. “The older a family, the stronger their collective magical legacy is likely to be, and the more house elves they can support with their family magic. Newer magicals can support one or two house elves on their own magic, but if they wanted to take in a family of house elves, they would need to be part of a couple, at a minimum, to provide enough magic to support an entire house elf family. The Paddingtons only have Lizbet living with them, but there are other elves that are part of the family – Lizbet’s extended family. Most of them help run the magical sides to the family businesses since we don’t need them at the house.”

“Oh,” said Harry. “Why don’t we learn about this at school?”

“Probably because the Ministry doesn’t want newer magical families to rival the old pureblood ones. Or maybe your teachers are just terrible.”

Jethro cleared his throat. “This is all very educational, but I do have to get back to work. Should I let Morrow know that I’ll take the job in London?”

“Yes,” said Tony. He reached over and grabbed Jethro’s hand and squeezed it briefly. “Come over tonight after work if you can. I’m making lasagna.”

***********************************************

Tony took Harry back to his apartment and found a book for him about house elves. Once Harry was immersed in the book, Tony got the sauce for the lasagna started and while it was simmering, decided to get going on packing up some of his things.

He dug into the back of his closet, found the boxes from the last time he had moved, and unshrunk some of them. He started layering his suits into one of the boxes. He knew some fantastic spells for dealing with wrinkles, so he didn’t worry about packing them properly into suit bags. When he had filled up a box, he labeled it and closed it up, and then shrunk it down. All of the shrunken boxes would be going into one big box. 

An hour later, he went to check on the sauce and found Harry had dozed off on the couch, still clutching the book. Tony smiled, and draped the afghan from the back of the couch over Harry. It was technically summer, but his apartment tended to stay cool. He checked the time, and decided to pack up some of the DVDs before he made the pasta.

Tony was shaping the pasta when a ripple hit his wards. Harry jerked awake on the sofa, dropping his book on the floor with a thud. Tony emerged from the kitchen, wiping his floury hands on a kitchen towel. 

“That would be Abby showing up,” said Tony. “I have the wards set to react to hostile intent.” Tony reached out for the wards with his magic. Abby was just entering the building, so they had a couple minutes.

Harry stretched and retrieved his book. “What are we going to do? Should we just pretend we’re not home?”

Tony laughed. “Oh, it’s tempting, but I think you should head off to your room and give Hermione a call, and I’ll tackle Abby. If I don’t answer the door, she’ll probably pound on it for a while and make a scene in the hallway. I’ll see if I can talk some sense into her, and if I can’t, well, we’ll go from there.”

Harry, taking his book with him, headed for his room. Tony waited until he heard the door shut to take a deep breath and focus his magic. He didn’t want to lose it around Abby. He made sure that his wand was holstered properly, and went back to the kitchen. He had finished rolling out the last of the pasta by the time Abby started knocking on the door.  
Tony left the security chain on and opened the door enough to see Abby. “Oh, hi,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“You and this whole weird thing with that kid!” Abby said. “What the hell is going on with you?”

He sighed. She hadn’t calmed down over the afternoon. “One sec,” he said. He shut the door, disengaged the chain, and reopened it. “Please come in so my neighbours don’t hear you shouting.”

She glared at him and then flounced over to the couch and flung herself onto it. “Explain yourself, DiNozzo!” she demanded.

Tony crossed his arms. “Last time I checked, Abby, you were just my friend and co-worker, not my boss.”

“Friends get to know what’s going on with each other!”

“Then you’ll tell me why you’re being so entitled about my private family business?” Tony asked pleasantly. 

Abby scowled. “This isn’t like you,” she said. “It’s like you’ve turned into a pod person.”

“I’ve turned into a pod person because I’m acting like a responsible adult,” Tony repeated. “Great. I wondered if I was overdoing it with the goofy persona at work. I guess this is my answer.”

“You aren’t answering my questions,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t asked any yet. What is it, exactly, that you think is going on here?”

“I think you’re hiding something about this kid that you claim is your cousin, and I want to know what it is.”

“Right,” said Tony. “Abby, I don’t care what you believe, but Harry really is my cousin, and I really am his guardian now, as his previous guardians were deemed unfit and I was the next available person on the list of guardians his parents had designated. I am moving to the UK to live with Harry, and I will be leaving NCIS as a result. And that’s really all you need to know.”

She slammed her fist on the back of the couch. “That’s not good enough! You can’t leave! Gibbs won’t let you!”

Tony’s eyebrows couldn’t really go any higher, but he figured it was worth the effort to try raising them more. “What makes you think Gibbs gets to dictate my decisions here?”

“If you leave, the team will be ruined,” Abby said. “So you can’t. Gibbs will scare off McGee and Kate and it’ll be awful.”

Tony said, very carefully, “What happens to the team after I leave my job for a legitimate reason is not my responsibility. If Gibbs cannot run the team by himself without driving people away, perhaps he’s not the best fit for the MCRT. And if McGee and Kate can’t handle the responsibilities of being on the MCRT without me there to moderate things, then maybe they should consider different roles as well.”

“But it’s not fair!” Abby said.

“Abby, if you had to leave NCIS for family reasons, I wouldn’t be questioning you on it. Do me the same courtesy,” Tony said softly.

Abby got to her feet and stomped over to Tony to stare him in the eyes. “Be that way,” she said. “I will get to the bottom of this.”

Tony leaned in. “Do not investigate my private life, Abby,” he said. “Do not investigate Harry, and do not investigate the rest of my family. If you do, I will file charges against you for harrassment. Is that understood?”

She furrowed her brow and the look in her eyes grew harder. “If that’s how you want to play this,” she said, before she strode out. 

Tony shut and locked the door behind her. Then he sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and set about reinforcing his wards. Jethro found him still there a half an hour later when he arrived and let himself in. The aura of power around him told Jethro to avoid interrupting, so he stuck the beer he’d brought in the fridge and went to check on Harry.

Harry had a video chat program open and was talking to a young woman with dark frizzy hair and light brown skin. 

“Hi Harry,” said Jethro.

Harry looked up. “Oh, hi, Jethro! I thought you’d be out in the living room or kitchen with Tony.”

“He’s doing something magical on the living room floor. I didn’t want to bother him,” said Jethro. “Care to introduce me?”

“Oh, right,” said Harry. “Hermione, this is Jethro. He’s going to marry Tony, so I guess he’ll sort of be my step-dad. Jethro, this is my best friend Hermione.”

“Hello,” said Hermione. “Nice to meet you.” She leaned her head to one side. “You aren’t a wizard, are you?”

“No,” said Jethro, surprised by her insight. “Tony tells me that you Brits would call me a Squid.”

“A Squib,” Hermione corrected. “Your parents were magical?”

“Not as far as I know,” said Jethro. “Tony says it’s more that I have some magic but I can’t use a wand or channel it beyond a few small things.”

“Interesting,” said Hermione. “Harry, could you see if the magical bookstores in DC have something on that? I’d love to learn more.”

Harry added that to a list he had next to the computer. “On the list. Tony promised to take me to the magical district tomorrow. I’d better go now. It’s almost time for dinner.”

Hermione looked down for a moment. “And it’s almost time for bed for me. You have a good evening. Tell Tony hi for me.”

“I will. Bye,” said Harry, pushing the button that ended the call. “Abby was here,” he said shortly. 

“She was?” Jethro asked. “What happened?”

“Tony sent me here to hide from her but I listened in. She was being weird, like she didn’t really care what he had to say, because none of it was going to be enough for her. He told her that if she tried to pry into our family, he’d file charges against her, and then she left.”

Jethro sighed. “Let’s go pull him out of whatever he’s doing.”

“No need,” said Tony, appearing in the doorway. “I was just shoring up the wards and calming down so I wouldn’t make anything explode. Harry, want to see how to assemble a lasagna?”

“Sure,” said Harry. He edged past Tony and headed for the kitchen. 

Jethro pulled Tony in briefly for an embrace. “I’ll let Morrow know that she’s being a problem,” he said. 

“Thanks,” said Tony. “I’m calling Gareth tomorrow morning about it. And well, that’s all I can do until she crosses the line.”

Jethro kissed him. “I’d offer to talk some sense into her, but I think I’ll just withhold Caff-Pow! and see if that gets us anywhere.”

Tony smirked. “If anything’s going to work, that will,” he said.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Horcrux acts up.

**Washington, DC**  
The next week passed swiftly, and with more peace than Tony had really expected. He received an email with the formal job offer from the ICW, and started the process of transferring from the MBI to the ICW. Jethro told Morrow that he would take the job at the UK Resident Unit, and was given a tentative start date of October 3rd. Harry finished off his summer homework and Tony got him started on the coursework for Arithmancy. They spent several days exploring the Smithsonian, with Jethro joining them on the weekend until the team caught a case and he was called in. 

Harry was fascinated by the blend of magical and mundane culture in magical enclave – no one dressed like it was the Middle Ages, and the shops took American currency, credit cards, and Galleons. He spent most of his weekly allowance on books to read with Hermione when he discovered the variety available in the magical bookstores. Tony had ruffled his hair, laughed, and threatened to up his allowance. They had discussed Harry’s financial situation, and agreed that he would be allowed a certain amount per week – half from his trust fund and half from Tony’s accounts. Tony would be paying for all of Harry’s food and clothing. The allowance money was for Harry to use as he pleased. Harry was surprised at the amount Tony suggested, since it was more than he’d expected, but agreed. He had been very much out of his depth in managing his own money since he’d started Hogwarts. He hadn’t even seen a complete account statement until Tony took over his guardianship. Harry was just glad that he hadn’t accidentally overspent and wasted all of his money, and had said so. Tony’s face had taken on a peculiar expression at that statement, but he had just said that Harry’s trust fund had enough in it even if he’d chosen to buy more new clothes or extra school supplies. 

“But I remember looking at the Firebolt last summer and thinking it would probably wipe me out,” Harry had pointed out.

“A Firebolt is an extremely extravagant purchase, yes,” said Tony. “Sort of like buying a Ferrari with all the bells and whistles. I’m not surprised your teachers were suspicious of you being sent one. Sirius meant well, and he even chose well, but it wasn’t the safest choice.”

Harry shrugged. He knew Sirius’ sense of judgement was impaired, but he’d seen that Harry needed a new broom and had picked one that he really wanted. The price of the gift didn’t really matter to him: it was more that it was the first thing he could remember his godfather doing for him. Since arriving in America, Harry and Sirius had spoken over a video chat program. He was already looking much healthier, and the clinic in Iceland was proving to be a good fit for him. He’d said something about Remus visiting him towards the end of their last call, and when Harry had signed off, he asked Tony about it.

Tony cleared his throat. “Well, they were a couple, back in the day. I’d guess the feelings are still there, but it’s been twelve years. They have a lot to work through. I’d wait for Sirius to bring it up, though. He’s probably not ready to talk about it yet.”

Harry had nodded and changed the subject. Romantic relationships were weird. The only couple he’d seen long-term were Petunia and Vernon, and he doubted their marriage was a good role model for him. He paid attention to the way Tony and Jethro interacted with each other. There was a sturdy feeling around their interactions that reminded him of the energy he’d experienced at the Weasley home. He liked that feeling, and wondered if he would ever have it with someone. Hermione’s face popped into his mind at that thought, and he shoved that away. He wasn’t quite ready to explore what was going on there. 

Tony finished packing up most of his stuff and hired someone to manage renting out the apartment once he’d vacated completely. He wasn’t quite sure if he should sell the place or not, and figured he could wait to make the decision. They were ready to leave, although he wanted to stay and spend more time with Jethro before they would have to be separated for nearly two months. 

Jethro disagreed. “You haven’t heard some of the things Abby’s been saying at work,” he said. “I think you should get home before she does something insane.”

“Has she said anything actionable?”

Jethro shook his head. “Not yet. But my gut says that you two need to leave soon.”

Tony sighed. “Fine. But I’m buying you a ticket for the World Cup and dragging you over for that, so book a long weekend off for August. Might as well introduce you to the family and move a few of your things over at the same time.”

“Give me the dates and I’ll see what I can do,” Jethro agreed. “Morrow’s agreed that my last work day here will be September 9, so I’ll have some time to settle in before I start in London.”

Harry wandered into the kitchen, where Tony and Jethro were talking. “Were there plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.

“Not as such,” said Tony. “I packed most of the kitchen so we’re getting takeout tonight. We’ll be heading back home once I can get a Portkey scheduled. Maybe tomorrow, but probably the day after.”

“Okay,” said Harry. “Any reason why?”

Tony looked over to Jethro, who answered with, “Abby’s said a few things lately that are weirder than usual. I’d feel better about your safety if you were back home. We don’t know when the news about me transferring will get leaked, and that’ll result in a tantrum from her.”

Harry frowned. “Why would that leak?”

“HR is full of gossips,” said Tony. “Jethro’s been at NCIS here in DC for a long time, so him leaving is big news.” He shrugged. “So, what did you want to do tonight?”

They ended up getting dinner at a quiet sushi restaurant in the neighbourhood and followed it up with _The Court Jester_ , a comedy that made Harry laugh out loud more than once. After that, Harry disappeared to his room to continue reading _The Return of the King_ , and Tony and Jethro sprawled out on the couch together for a while, enjoying the quiet of each other’s company, before heading to bed themselves.

Jethro was woken from a sound sleep by the bed jolting. Tony had leapt out of bed and was yanking a pair of pajama pants on, nearly falling over in the process.

“What is it?” Jethro asked.

“Something’s wrong with Harry,” said Tony, jerking the door open and hurrying to the room next door. 

Jethro followed once he’d found his boxers and t-shirt. He flipped on the light to see Tony kneeling beside Harry, placing his fingers at the teen’s temples. Harry was moaning in his sleep and the scar on his forehead was bright red. Tony murmured something and then his eyes lost focus. A moment later, he straightened and said, “Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Jethro, grab my phone and call the contact labelled W. Cooper.”

The sense of something wrong in the room increased in the few seconds it took Jethro to locate Tony’s phone. He dialled the number and after a few rings, a groggy female voice said, “Tony, there better be a damn good reason for you to be calling me at two in the morning!”

“This Jethro Gibbs,” said Jethro. “Tony told me to call you.”

“Oh,” said the voice, sounding less cranky. “Tony’s guy. What is it?”

“Something’s wrong with Harry. Um, and Tony’s hands are glowing. That’s not normal, is it?”

She sighed. “Can Tony talk?”

“I’ll put you on speaker,” he said, and pushed the button.

“Winnifred,” said Tony carefully, as he concentrating on Harry. The glow from his fingertips surrounded the scar on Harry’s head now. “It activated.”

“Shit,” she said. “How bad?”

“That link you theorized? It’s there. I managed to get into Harry’s mind just as he witnessed a ritual murder.”

“Oh hell,” said Winnifred. “I’ll be right there. Stick him in a purifying circle.” She hung up.

The light around the scar pulsed and Tony carefully removed his fingers from Harry’s temple. “That’ll hold it for now,” he said. “Can you help me move him to the living room?”

Jethro silently helped move Harry, who remained unconscious through the whole process. Tony arranged him on the floor and had Jethro sit at Harry’s head. “I want you to put your first two fingers on his temples, like I was doing earlier,” he said. “Then I want you to concentrate on keeping him safe. Just focus on that being the most important thing for right now.” Jethro raised his eyebrows but did as he was asked. 

Tony went to the kitchen and came back with a box of salt, which he proceeded to pour in a circle all the way around the three of them, leaving more than enough room for another person. 

Someone knocked on the door then, and Tony stepped carefully out of the circle and opened it. The woman who came in was wearing yoga pants and a hoodie and dragging a rolling suitcase. Tony locked up after her. 

She look at the room and focused on Harry. She stepped closer, and then knelt beside him. “Hi, I’m Win Cooper,” she said to Jethro as she took a hair band from her wrist and used it to pull back her frizzy brown hair. “Fuck, that thing is malevolent.” She used a wand she pulled out of her hoodie’s pocket to sketch something glowing in the air beside Harry’s face. “Tony, can you anchor the protective circle while I study this?”

“Not a problem,” said Tony, unzipping her suitcase. It turned out to be full of candles, stones, and herbs. Tony started by setting fouor black candles carefully around the circle at the cardinal points, and then sprinkled an herb mixture around them in a second circle. He pulled out a wooden box and a large crystal, and then rejoined them in the circle.

“Activate?” Tony asked. Win nodded, still focused on Harry. Jethro watched, hands gently holding Harry’s head, that energy inside of him bent towards keeping the kid safe, as Tony started speaking in a language that reminded Jethro of Italian. The candles ignited and some kind of energy seemed to pass through the air. 

Win sighed and set down her wand. “Good choice,” she said, taking the crystal from Tony. “The protective spell from his mother is preventing the shard from possessing him, but there’s something incomplete about the protective spell that’s affecting its abilities to protect him from harm. The shard needs to come out now or getting it out will become an even bigger task. Ready?”

Tony nodded. “Jethro, just keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll tell you when it’s safe to let go.”

Jethro watched as the two bent their heads and focused on Harry’s scar, hands making careful movements that occasionally produced glowing light. He could feel a gathering tension in the air. Time passed, but he wasn’t sure how long it was until Tony said, “Got it,” and made a pulling gesture. The tension in the room broke with an inaudible pop. Win lifted the crystal and touched it to something Jethro couldn’t see. The crystal turned black. 

Tony set it in the box, which was lined with silver, and then shut. Win now had her hand plastered to Harry’s forehead, and was chanting softly. Warm light gathered around her hands and soaked into Harry’s forehead. When she lifted her hands, the scar was no longer red and was more faded than it had been before. 

“Well, that was easier than expected,” said Win. “That box should hold it for now, but I’ll take it over to Gringotts and have them make sure it’s destroyed. Jethro, you can let go now. Tony, want to open the circle?”

Tony stood and stretched, and spoke again in not-Italian. “What language is that?” Jethro asked, pulling his hands away and flexing his stiff fingers.

“Latin,” said Win. “It’s a popular choice in European ritual craft. You did great, by the way, Jethro.” She yawned.

“Sorry to pull you out of bed so late,” said Tony as the candles extinguished themselves. 

Win stood and stretched. “Hazard of the job. And Jamie isn’t back until tomorrow. Well, today, but she’ll understand my need to sleep.”

Tony grimaced. “I didn’t mean to deprive you of Jamie time.”

Win shrugged. “From what she said on the phone, she had a rough mission so she’ll be tired, too. At worst, we’ll sleep and maybe watch something trashy and mindless together. Give me a call tomorrow morning. I can come by and check on him, make sure we’re good. You’re heading back to England soon, right?”

Tony looked ruefully at the ritual circle. “We were going to leave today or tomorrow.”

“Give it a day or two more,” Win suggested. “You’ll all need sleep and food.” She yawned. “I’m off, then. I can apparate from in here?”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “Just no apparating in.”

“Great,” said Win. She grabbed her suitcase and vanished. 

Jethro blinked. “What the hell did we just do?”

Tony collapsed to the floor. “We just yanked a piece of Voldemort’s soul out of Harry’s forehead,” he said.

“We what?”

Tony blinked at the ceiling. “I may have forgotten to mention that bit to you. We just told Harry that it was black magic residue from the curse, which is technically true. I’m reluctant to tell him about what it really was.”

Jethro joined Tony on the floor. “Yeah, that would go badly. Maybe later, but not now. Is he going to be okay?”

“I think so,” said Tony. “That was a little more brute force than we’d initially planned but it worked. Win’s going to take the soul piece to the goblins and they’ll destroy it. They’re already working on tracking down the other ones.”

“The other ones?”

“Oh yeah,” said Tony. “We’re fairly certain he split his soul more than once. It’s an old method to attempt immortality. It doesn’t work very well, given that he’s currently a disembodied wraith. Well, based on what Harry saw, he’s possessed someone for now, and is using their body, which is creepy as hell, but he can’t sustain that for too long, since possession eventually destroys the host.” He yawned. “Let’s move Harry over to the couch. I think we can fit on the recliner together.”

Jethro could feel exhaustion hitting him, and Tony looked drained. It took more effort than it usually would have to move Harry to the sofa, but they managed. Once Tony covered Harry with a blanket, he crawled onto the recliner with Jethro. He was asleep almost instantly. Jethro smiled down at Tony and then fell asleep himself. 

Several hours later, Harry woke to the scent of coffee and found himself on the couch. He looked around the room. Tony and Jethro were awake by this time, both curled into the recliner with mugs of coffee. “Why do I feel like someone ran over me with a lorry?” Harry asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winnifred Cooper is an OC of mine from the "On Your Side" 'verse. She was happy to pop over to this story and help out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Harry return to the UK and stuff starts happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, chapter count went up, mostly because a couple things need to happen that I didn't want to shoehorn into one chapter. You're welcome?

**Washington, DC**

Win visited briefly a day after the ritual to confirm that Gringotts had destroyed the Horcrux (“they’ve got paperwork for you, Tony”) and that Harry was good to travel. Once that was confirmed, Tony packed up the last of his things, picked up a few boxes from Gibbs’ house that he was sending with them, and he and Harry went to catch their Portkey. Jethro came with them to say goodbye, and watched with a bemused expression as Harry downed a phial of something purple. 

“Stomach soother,” Tony explained. “He threw up last time.”

Jethro nodded, pulled Harry in for a quick hug, and then kissed Tony goodbye. “See you in a few weeks,” he said.

Tony smiled as they reluctantly pulled apart. “I’ll miss you. Don’t murder Kate and McGee.”

“No promises,” said Jethro. He waved as Tony and Harry grabbed the plastic disc labelled “London/Washington, DC” and activated it. He blinked as they began to spin in place and then vanished. 

Harry caught himself before he fell over when they landed. He steadied himself and looked around the room. It was a drab room that he didn’t recognize. A man wandered over, collected the used Portkey, and nodded at them.

“How was it this time?” Tony asked.

Harry shrugged. “Better, I think,” he said. “I don’t want to vomit this time around.” He stepped closer to Tony. “Now what?”

“Now we grab our bags and go,” said Tony.

“They don’t check our passports?”

Tony picked up his duffel bag and Harry grabbed his. He followed Tony out of the room. “No, they don’t,” said Tony quietly as they left. “That’s on my list of things to fix. Their security leaves a lot to be desired.”

The short hallway led them to a large open hall filled with people. Harry barely had time to take it in before Tony hooked Harry’s elbow with his. “We can Apparate from here. Hold on.”

They landed back at Paddington House. Harry could feel the wards this time, welcoming him home. A smile spread across his face. He was home.

******************************************

Hermione Flooed over to Paddington House right after Harry and Tony got home. She was full of questions about America, and spent the entire dinner talking with Harry about his experiences. She slowed down once they settled in to watch a movie after they finished eating. Hermione cuddled up next to Harry and Harry leaned his head against hers as the film started.

Clive had observed the scene with growing amusement. “They have no idea, do they?” he commented, watching from the door of the entertainment room.

“I think Harry’s not quite ready to think about dating,” said Tony. “But yes, they’re definitely headed that way.” He gently tugged his uncle’s sleeve. “Come on. We’ve got to talk.”

Crispian and Huang joined them in Clive’s study. “What’s the news?” Crispian asked.

“Harry’s scar is fixed,” said Tony. “It activated a couple days ago, and I called in a specialist. He’s going to be fine, but his recovery rate for his other issues is going to slow down because of that. My friend Winnifred wrote up an evaluation to hand off to you, Crispian.”

Crispian sighed. “I wish he’d had a little more time to rest up for the removal, but I’m glad it’s gone.”

“Gringotts confirmed that it is a shard of the whole, and then they destroyed it. They are fairly certain that the diary Harry killed a year ago was one as well. The shard they were given is probably too small for it to be a third of Voldemort’s soul, so their guess is that he went for the next big magical number: seven.”

Huang cringed. “That arrogant bastard,” she snapped. “Disgusting.”

“There’s an additional concern,” Tony said. “When the Horcrux activated, Harry was subjected to seeing what Voldemort was doing at the time. He ritually murdered a man, and, since I’d grabbed Harry, I got to see it too. He’s back in England, and he has Pettigrew helping him.”

“What would bring him back now?” Clive asked.

“I wasn’t sure about that until Clepsydra told me that the British Ministry, in an attempt to boost their reputation, has agreed to host a Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts this year. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be the other participants. I would guess that the press, the events, and the relaxed wards around Hogwarts are something he wishes to take advantage of.”

“First the World Cup, and then the Triwizard Tournament? They’re trying too hard,” said Huang. 

Tony shrugged. “I’m more concerned about the Tournament than the World Cup, but I asked Clepsydra to let the relevant departments know that they should consider upping their security measures for the World Cup. I don’t know if they’ll listen.”

“Should we reconsider attending?” asked Crispian. 

Tony shook his head. “I don’t think so. That’s when we were planning to officially release the news that Harry’s with us. Unless there’s a credible threat, I’d rather take precautions and go, and let the press lose the news of Harry’s custody in the World Cup.”

Huang picked up a newspaper. “This was this morning’s _Prophet_ ,” she said. _Sirius Black Innocent! Framed by Pettigrew and Imprisoned Without Trial by Ministry Incompetents!_

“Dammit,” said Tony. “I thought that was supposed to be released next week.”

“It leaked,” said Huang. “Frankly, I’m shocked the ICW kept it quiet this long. It took them two days to declare Sirius innocent, and that was because of the paperwork involved.”

“Someone’s going to remember that he’s Harry’s godfather,” said Clive. “Wait and see, or spin it?”

Tony had started pacing the room. “Write up a spin, and then wait to release it. Let them make the first move. If it’s only speculation, we can afford to wait,” Tony suggested. “Did Harry get mentioned in the article?”

“Surprisingly, no.”

Tony paused. “Then they’re probably waiting to release the news later this week, to make a bigger splash. Huang?”

“I’ll write it up,” she said. “We’ll need it sooner than later.”

He yawned. “Sorry. Still tired from the ritual. I should check on Harry. He’s been sleeping a lot.” He stopped at the door. “Thanks, you guys. I don’t know how to tell you how much your help means.”

Clive waved a dismissive hand. “You’re family. Help is guaranteed. Have a good night.”

Tony checked on Harry and Hermione. Harry had fallen asleep on the sofa, and was snoring softly on Hermione’s shoulder. She shook her head when Tony motioned and offered to move him. He winked at her, and headed up to bed.

************************************************

Harry had shared an invitation from the Burrow, and Tony agreed that they could visit the Weasleys before the news about who Harry was living with broke. They went over to the Weasley home for a late Saturday lunch a couple days after getting back from DC. Tony and Harry flooed through together, and Tony managed to keep Harry from falling over when they arrived.

“I am never getting used to this,” Harry muttered. “Who invented Floo travel?”

Tony laughed. “Sorry, kid. You can learn to Apparate when you’re seventeen and that’s faster.”

“But that’s just as weird!” Harry protested. “I know I can’t fly everywhere, but maybe I should just get a motorbike.”

“Those are dangerous,” said Tony. “Do you have any idea how many fatal motorcycle crashes happen each year?”

“No,” said Harry. “Do you?”

“There were about 4000 last year in the States, and over 75000 accidents with injuries. I don’t know about the UK, but the rate of death and injury for motorcyclists is much higher than it is for passengers and drivers in cars.”

Harry blinked. “How do you know that?”

“There was a case for work a couple months ago,” said Tony. “That’s beside the point, though. This is England. Public transit is great. You can take the bus. Or the train. Much safer. And no splinching.”

“What’s splinching?” Harry asked.

“What are they teaching you at that school?” Tony replied.

Someone cleared their throat, and Tony and Harry turned their heads to see Arthur Weasley standing there awkwardly. “Good to see you again, Harry,” he said. “And you must be Tony.”

Tony offered his hand. “Anthony Paddington DiNozzo, at your service,” he said. “But seriously, call me Tony.”

Arthur shook it. “Arthur Weasley, at yours. Harry, all the boys are out in the back garden playing Quidditch. Tony, my wife was hoping to meet you. She’s in the kitchen.”

“It would be a pleasure,” said Tony as Harry darted off to the garden. “Thank you for your invitation.” He fumbled in his coat pocket and extracted a large tin. “My family sends their regards.”

Arthur accepted the tin. “Thank you,” he said. He looked at the label. “Oh, fantastic. We’ll have to have some of this tea with pudding. I’ve heard good things about it.”

Tony followed Arthur through the house to a large kitchen that, despite having only one person in it, seemed full of activity. A red-haired woman was busily chopping food, stirring pots, and checking the oven.

“Molly, this is Harry’s cousin, Anthony Paddington DiNozzo,” said Arthur.

Molly whirled and looked at Tony. “A Paddington?” she said. “I didn’t realize the Paddingtons were so concerned with Harry’s well-being.”

Tony cleared his throat. “There were extenuating circumstances, ma’am. I was prevented from contacting my cousin, despite my efforts, until he contacted me.”

She sniffed. “Well, you may say that now, but are you really in a position to raise a child, a single man like you?” Her tone indicated that she doubted it.

“I’m engaged,” said Tony. “My fiancé’s moving here in September. And last I checked, it wasn’t your job to interrogate me about my fitness to parent when I’ve already been found acceptable.”

Molly’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve looked after Harry more than you,” she challenged.

“Have you?” said Tony. “Harry’s told me about your letting him stay with you for a couple of weeks during the summer after his first year at Hogwarts, and how much he’s appreciated your Christmas presents, but he’s been in my custody for a month now. I would like to thank you for taking him a couple years ago; from what he’s told me, you may have saved his life then.”

She shrugged. “I’m sure the twins were exaggerating, but we were happy to have him here. He’s a lovely boy. So polite.”

Arthur cleared his throat. “I know we’re glad that Harry’s with family who care about him now. What did you mean about extenuating circumstances? I know that I reported my concerns about his home life to Wizarding Social Services, and I never heard back from them.”

“Certain parties with authority decided that Harry Potter would be best off if isolated from the magical world,” said Tony. “The investigation is currently on-going, so I can’t really elaborate at the moment.”

Arthur nodded. “That would explain the news about Sirius Black,” he commented. “Would you like a drink? Molly’s made lemonade, or I think we have a few other things.”

“Lemonade sounds great,” said Tony. He accepted a glass from Arthur and sipped. “This is excellent,” he told Molly. 

She smiled at him. “Sorry, for earlier,” she said. “I just...you Paddingtons have a reputation and you weren’t there earlier.”

“My relatives were Obliviated about Sirius Black’s whereabouts and cursed with a charm that would distract them from contacting Harry,” said Tony flatly. “I was told he was in what we in the States call Witness Protection. I wrote to him every month, and was informed that he received the letters but couldn’t write back due to security concerns. I was lucky enough to avoid being cursed because I was in the States and was communicating via mail rather than in person.”

Molly put a hand to her mouth. “Oh...I’m so sorry.”

Tony set his glass down for a moment. “I’m doing the best I can to fix things now,” he said. “I promise you that.”

A pre-teen girl with long red hair entered the kitchen. “Mum, I finished up setting the table. Can I go play Quidditch now?”

“Of course, dear,” said Molly. “Just be careful.”

The girl turned bright brown eyes on Tony. “Who are you?”

“I’m Harry’s cousin Tony,” he said, offering her a hand, which she shook.

“I’m Ginny,” she said. “Nice to meet you.” Then she darted away.

Tony watched her go with a frown. “Harry told me about what happened to her during her first year,” he said once she was out of earshot. “How has she been?”

Molly busied herself at the kitchen counter. “She’s fine,” she said. “Professor Dumbledore assured us that she suffered no lasting effects from that nasty business.”

“I see,” said Tony. “Harry still has the odd nightmare about his experiences that year.”

“Ginny does, too,” said Arthur, “but she says she’s fine. I think she’d tell us if she was having problems.”

Tony nodded and sipped his lemonade, mentally adding Ginny Weasley to the list of things Dumbledore needed to be asked about. He refocused the conversation by complimenting Molly on their home. She brightened and started to talk about the structural charm work she used to hold the house together. He listened, asked innocuous questions, and enjoyed his lemonade.

When lunch was ready, Molly called outside to the children. Tony was introduced to the family in a rush – all of the Weasley children except the second oldest, Charlie, were there. Tony perked up when Bill came in; he had been a strong suggestion from Gringotts for the investigative team tracking down Voldemort’s Horcruxes, and Tony wanted to interview him. Bill sat next to his sister, and Tony watched Bill look after her in a way her parents seemed disinclined to. He sighed internally. More things for Dumbledore’s interrogations.   
Harry seemed to get on best with Ron and the twins. Percy was eating quickly, protesting that he had paperwork to finish for Mr. Crouch. Tony considered telling him that Crouch was probably getting arrested in a few days, so paperwork could wait a bit, but the kid was genuinely anxious about completing his work, so he left it alone. The things Percy mentioned about his job suggested he had an eye for detail, though, so he’d recommend that Clepsydra’s team remember to interview him. He doubted Percy had been pulled into any of Crouch’s darker activities, but he might have noticed something useful.

After the meal, the younger boys trooped back outside, followed by Ginny, to play more Quidditch. Percy disappeared back up to his room, and Bill joined Tony and his parents for tea. Tony acted on his concerns about Ginny by asking Bill if he’d be interested in coming back with them for a drink that evening, shortly before he and Harry were supposed to head home. “I’ve heard you’re an excellent curse-breaker, and I’ve got a job opportunity for you here in England. Interested?”

Bill looked a little suspicious, but accepted Tony’s invitation and came back to Paddington House with them. Harry disappeared upstairs to read and sleep some more, and Tony waved Bill into the den. The house was mostly quiet. Crispian was out on a date (Tony planned to interrogate him in the morning), and Clive and Huang were watching a film together in the entertainment room, with the doors shut.

“What do you prefer?” Tony asked, opening up the bar. 

“Do you have Scotch?”

“Naturally,” said Tony. “Glenfiddich?”

Bill nodded. “Please. On the rocks.”

Tony poured a couple fingers of Scotch into a tumbler, added two ice cubes, and handed it to Bill. He poured the same for himself.

“So, why am I here drinking expensive alcohol with you?” Bill asked.

Tony selected an armchair and sat down. “Where to start? Well, I’m financing a very particular kind of treasure hunt, and you were on Gringotts’ recommended list.”

“Okay,” said Bill. “I knew I’d been recalled to Britain for something, but they’re keeping it very quiet.”

“Voldemort is not quite dead,” said Tony. “He used soul anchors, also known as Horcruxes, to tether his soul to this plane. Multiple anchors, of course, because he’s batshit crazy.” He sipped his Scotch. “We’ve located and destroyed two of them, but the general agreement by those so far involved is that we have one to five more left.”

“Three or seven,” said Bill. He closed his eyes to think for a moment. “Seven feels more likely – I remember hearing things about him when I was a kid and he was a paranoid bastard.”

“Current consensus is that we’re probably looking for a total of seven items. The first one was destroyed over a year ago, by Harry.”

Bill nearly dropped his glass. “Harry destroyed a Horcrux? Those things are pure Black magic!”

“How much do you know about what happened to your little sister during her first year?”

Bill shook his head. “Not much. Mum and Dad won’t tell me, and Ginny isn’t willing to confide. Ron gave me some details. There was a Dark artifact that she handled and it...did something to her.”

“Lucius Malfoy planted a diary that turned out to be one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes in Ginny’s schoolbooks,” said Tony. “She thought it was just a diary, and wrote it in. When it started writing back, she didn’t stop. It possessed her, used her to open the Chamber of Secrets, and attempted to kill a number of the students in the school. Eventually, it tried to use her magical essence to resurrect itself. Harry and Ron went after her when she disappeared, and Harry wound up killing a basilisk that lived in the Chamber and the Horcrux. He used a fang from the basilisk to neutralize the Horcrux.”

Bill swore. “Mum said that Dumbledore assured them Ginny was fine, and I’ve been trying to get them to take her to see a healer for months. Every fucking time I see her, she looks more like a shadow, and they just keep ignoring it.”

“Oh, Dumbledore will answer for that. The ICW has him under arrest. He’s been charged with a lot of things...every time they question him, the arse adds something to the list of charges. I’ll let the investigator in charge know about Ginny so they’ll have some specifics. In the meantime, yes, she absolutely needs a soul healer. You have mage sight?”

“Yeah,” said Bill. “Trained by Gringotts.”

“Then you’ve seen what I saw in her earlier. She needs help, and the sooner she gets it, the better.”

“What are you suggesting?” Bill asked. “My parents are the ones who have to sign off on medical treatment for her. I’m just her brother. Legally...”

“Legally, you’re limited unless you file charges against your parents. I think there’s a good chance they’ve had some undue influence, so I’ll see if my friends at the ICW can determine that. If they have been subjected to behaviour-altering charms, it's likely the culprit is already in custody for related offenses.”

“Thanks,” said Bill. “For the moment, though, I don’t know what to do.”

“Ask forgiveness, not permission,” said Tony. “Take her out for a day, see if she wants to see a healer, and just take her to one. Hell, take her to my cousin. He knows all about what’s been happening.”

Bill raised an eyebrow. “You want me to sneak my sister off to meet with Crispian Paddington for a healing session? Do you want my mum to incinerate me with just her words?”

Tony set aside his glass. “Ginny needs the help, Bill. If you don’t intervene soon, some of the damage may become irreparable.”

The young man sighed. “You’re right. I just wish Mum and Dad were actually parenting her instead of whatever is they’re doing. If it had been me when I was a kid? Mum would have me off to the healer’s in no time. She’s always been so overprotective of Ginny and all of sudden she barely cares about her welfare. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Which is why we will investigate undue influence,” said Tony. “In the meantime, take your sister to my cousin as soon as you can, otherwise I’ll have to report your parents for neglect.”

“Fine,” said Bill. “You’re kind of a bastard, aren’t you?”

Tony shrugged. “Eh, I can be. Wait until you meet my partner. He tells people the second B in his name stands for bastard.”

***************************************

Tony saw Bill off through the Floo, made sure everything was locked up for the night, and went back to the study. He wrote a couple of letters, posted them through the secure box, and headed up to bed. He showered and was just about to crawl into bed and go to sleep when Harry knocked on his door.

“Come in,” said Tony. He looked longingly at his bed but found a pair of sweatpants and wandered out to the sitting room part of the suite.

“Um, Tony,” said Harry, “I was wondering, could I talk to you about something?”

“Anytime,” said Tony. “What’s up?”

“Sorry to bug you so late, I just, um, I think I like Hermione.”

_Ah, this conversation_ , thought Tony. _About time_. “Okay,” he said out loud. “You mean you like her romantically?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “What do I do?”

Tony steered Harry over to the couch. “Sit down, for one. You look like I’m going to bite your head off.”

“I’ve never liked a girl before,” he said.

“I see,” said Tony. “Well, it’s very normal to experience attraction at your age – I think I was thirteen or fourteen when I first realized I liked girls and boys.”

“I think I just like girls, but I’m not sure,” said Harry. “Mostly I like Hermione.”

“As you should,” said Tony. “She’s amazing.”

“Do you think she’d go out with me?”

Tony tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch. “I think she might. What would you want out of a relationship right now?”

Harry stared into space for a moment, thinking. “Um, spending time together, like we do now, but with holding hands. Maybe kissing?”

“That sounds age-appropriate,” said Tony. “We’ll have to have a long talk about sex and consent, but I think you’re a little young to have sex. The age of consent here is sixteen, so I personally would prefer it if both of you waited until you were sixteen. I realize that you’re teenagers, though, and that doesn’t always work out, so we’ll be going over consent and safe sex in a lot of detail.”

Harry made a face. “I don’t want to have _sex_! I just want to hold hands and cuddle! I don’t think I’m old enough for sex.”

Tony laughed and ruffled Harry’s hair. “I agree. Sex comes with some very serious possible consequences, as fun as it is, and I think you should be fully informed of those before you consider having sex. I’ll check with Crispian to see if there are any updates on contraceptive charms that I should know about and if he has some books you could read. If Hermione hasn’t learned about sex in the magical world, she probably should soon, even if she doesn’t want to date right now.”

“Mostly I just know that sex makes babies,” Harry muttered.

“Some sex makes babies,” Tony corrected. “Safe sex includes protecting yourself and your partner from sexually transmitted infections, which can be spread through multiple types of sexual contract, while the baby-making kind typically requires vaginal sex.” Harry turned bright red at the word “vaginal” so Tony decided to have mercy on him.

“Right now, just think about how you want to ask Hermione out. Be clear – tell her you like her and want to date her without leaving room for misinterpretation. And go to bed. I think it’s too late for us to have more of this conversation without you exploding from embarrassment.”

Harry nodded. “Thanks, Tony.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” said Tony. Once Harry had shut the door, Tony lay back on the couch and laughed, silently and little hysterically. Now he had to give Harry a proper sex talk tomorrow, and on Monday his committee was due to get started at the Ministry. It was going to be a hell of a week.

*************************************************

The flurry in the Department for International Magical Co-Operation would have been comical if it hadn’t been the result of Barty Crouch and several other people being arrested. Tony wandered by to see the fall-out – it was, after all, indirectly his fault – and noted the handful of Aurors and ICW agents trying to corral people for questioning. Clepsydra had sent him a note earlier detailing the latest news: when ICW agents had raided Crouch’s house that morning, they had found his supposedly-dead Death Eater son under the Imperius Curse in the basement. Tony had burnt the note, finished the round of paperwork he’d been working on, and then meandered over to Crouch’s department.

He found Percy Weasley sitting in the hallway, head in his hands. He’d only met the kid briefly when he and Harry had visited the Weasleys, but he’d gotten the impression of desperate competence from him. “Percy,” said Tony.

Percy looked up. His eyes were red – he wasn’t crying now but it was possible he had been earlier. “Mr. Dinozzo!” He struggled to his feet. Tony gave him a hand. 

“It’s just Tony,” said Tony. “At least for now. I’ve never liked being called Mr. Dinozzo. What’s up?”

Percy glanced back into the offices. “My boss just got arrested. The Aurors interrogated me...and I think I’ve lost my job. I’ve just started working here and now I don’t have a job, and I don’t know if I can get another one, and my parents are going to be so ashamed of me...”

“Stop and breathe, kid,” said Tony. “Come with me.” He debated taking Percy out to a coffee shop, but the teenager was wearing full wizarding robes and looked like he wouldn’t be comfortable in a non-magical environment right now. He took him to his office instead, pressed him into a seat, and made tea. 

Percy had stopped babbling. He stared around Tony’s office, taking in the mixture of magical and non-magical office supplies. He seemed particularly intrigued by Tony’s Mighty Mouse stapler. He started when Tony said, “How do you take your tea?”

“Oh, um, milk, no sugar,” said Percy. He accepted the cup from Tony. “Thanks.”

Tony set a plate of molasses cookies on the desk in front of Percy (courtesy of Lizbet) and settled into his own chair, hands wrapped around his mug. He watched Percy for a moment. “Tell me about your job,” he said.

“I do paperwork, research, fetch tea...I’m Mr. Crouch’s personal assistant. Or I was.”

“What did you think of the job, and of Crouch?” 

Percy shrugged. “It’s a start,” he said. “I know Dad’s got some connections in the Ministry but I didn’t want to rely on those. I liked the paperwork side of it. I know that makes me weird. Mr. Crouch didn’t really care about me as long as I did my job and got his tea right. He couldn’t even be bothered to get my name right.”

“He’s an asshole,” said Tony. He grinned at the look of shock on Percy’s face. “He’s always been one, so it’s not you. And I get you wanting to stand on your own two feet. There’s a reason I go by Dinozzo and not Paddington-Dinozzo here.” Tony paused to sip his tea. “How do you feel about international magical law?”

*****************************************

“I found us a research assistant,” Tony announced to his team an hour later.

“Oh, who?” said Berhane. 

“Percy Weasley.”

Berhane frowned for a moment. “Weasley...isn’t that one of the department heads?”

“One of his kids,” said Tony. 

“Interesting choice,” said Jones, a staff member from the MLE who had been assigned to them. “Pureblood, family connections, excellent credentials...”

“Also Bartemius Crouch’s former personal assistant,” Tony added. “I found the poor kid crying in the hallway, convinced that his life was ruined because his first boss was arrested.”

Clepsydra poured herself a cup of tea. She had just extricated herself from the investigation and would be joining them on the committee. “I questioned Percival myself. He was distraught but couldn’t tell me anything relevant about Crouch. He was limited to tea deliveries, research, and paperwork.”

“He did tell me that Crouch was the kind of asshole who couldn’t bother to get his name right,” said Tony. 

Clepsydra pursed her lips. “He dislikes Arthur Weasley. Not surprising. We’ll give young Percy a trial period. When did you want him to start?”

“Tomorrow,” said Tony. “I need him to start pulling all the legislation and case law that are germane to our work. There’s going to be a lot to deal with, and I have enough to manage just finalizing our timeline and getting the preliminary issues lined up.”

Berhane scribbled a couple things on her notepad. “Where did you need me for now?”

“Interviewing the Aurors about their current procedures with Jones. I’m going to be talking with the Muggle Misuse Department about theirs. Clepsydra, once you’re officially free from your other duties, I want you to tackle the Department of Mysteries. Oh, Jones, you also need to write up a detailed report on how the MLE as a whole handles Muggle relations. I’d like that by the end of next week.”

“This is going to be insane,” said Berhane.

“You signed up for it,” said Tony. 

She grinned. “I certainly did.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby goes too far; Harry introduces Ron to Star Wars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this out! It's been mostly finished for ages but I've been busy, stressed out, or just absent-minded. One (maybe two?) more chapters to go!

**Paddington House**

Tony was about to leave for work when his phone rang. It was Jethro’s ringtone. He answered with, “What are you doing calling me at 2 am your time?”

“Abby got herself arrested,” said Jethro.

Tony leaned against the wall next to the fireplace. “I see. May I ask what she was arrested for?”

“Hacking into your bank accounts. Your friend Gareth is not happy with her, and he called me in because you’re on the other side of the Atlantic.”

“So she hacked into my bank accounts and the MBI caught her?”

Jethro cleared his throat. “They’ve been keeping an eye on things since you flagged her as a concern. They managed to grab her tonight when she acted, but Gareth hasn’t told me how much she got. Right now they’re holding her but I don’t know what’s happening next.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

His partner sighed. “She used the equipment at NCIS.”

“Fuck,” said Tony. “Now hand me over to Gareth, and we’ll talk about this later.” Tony listened to the murmur of voices and then Gareth picked up.

“Hey, Tony,” said Gareth. 

“Hi, Gareth,” Tony replied. “What did she get?”

“Transfers from Gringotts labelled ‘Gringotts’ and that got her back-tracing those. She ran into their firewall before she got much information, but she has enough to know more than she should. She’s threatening to go public with ‘the conspiracy.’ I took a look at her file.”

“And?”

“She was read in as a kid because her best friend was magical. She couldn’t keep the secret and actually stated, when the agent assigned to the family talked with her, that cover-ups were wrong and she considered it her duty to tell people about magic so her friend wouldn’t have to be a secret anymore. The damage was minimal because she was a kid and people dismissed it as just being her imagination, but she was Obliviated. That’s part of the problem.”

Tony closed his eyes. “The Obliviation was poorly done.”

“Yeah,” said Gareth. “It’s made her more paranoid than she might have been otherwise.”

“Jesus,” said Tony. “What are your plans?”

“Mind Magic to suppress the memories properly, modification of tonight’s event so she remembers hacking your accounts and getting caught without the magic bits, and filing charges accordingly,” Gareth summarized. 

“She’s going to lose her job,” said Tony. “NCIS could be implicated since it was their equipment. They’ll throw her under the bus.”

“Do you want her to keep her job?” Gareth asked.

Tony looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t trust her anymore. If she’d hack into my account just because she’s pissed at me, I can’t guarantee she’ll stay stable at NCIS. And her paranoia isn’t an excuse for committing a crime, given that it hasn’t spurred her to act illegally until now. Go ahead and file charges.”

“Okay,” said Gareth. “I’m going to handle the memory modifications myself, to ensure that no one screws up again.”

“Thanks,” said Tony. “She doesn’t deserve that. Can you give the phone back to Jethro?”

“Sure. Have a good night. Morning. Whatever time it is over there.”

Tony laughed a little. Jethro took the phone. “I heard,” he said. “For what it’s worth, I agree. She went too far, and she needs to live with the consequences.”

“I’m okay with them bargaining down to a misdemeanour since she didn’t get to use the information,” Tony said. “Tell Gareth.”

“I will,” said Jethro.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I wish I could fix this.”

“You weren’t the one who broke it,” said Jethro. “If things don’t get busy here, I’ll call tonight. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” said Tony. “Bye.” He pressed the end call button, and gripped his phone tightly for a moment. Then he relaxed, grabbed his backpack, and stepped into the Floo. He’d have to sort through this later. He was going to be late for work, and the job of cataloguing all the laws and procedures surrounding Britain’s Statute of Secrecy and creating recommendations for changes was turning out to be even bigger than he’d realized.

Hiring Percy had been a stroke of genius – the teen’s detail-oriented mind and solid work ethic meant that he was perfect for the research they needed. Tony said a brief hello to Percy, who was ensconced in the outer office, surrounded by paperwork and filing cabinets, and dashed into his office to grab the file for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts department. He was nearly done interviewing Arthur Weasley and his assistant, Deemer Perkins, and so far, he was going to recommend that both of them receive actual training in mundane culture. 

Actually, scratch that. Anyone who would be encountering non-magicals in the course of their jobs would require remedial training. That was going to be a headache and a half.

*******************************************************

Tony arrived home to find Harry and Hermione had taken over the corner of the library devoted to fantasy. They were sprawled across a sofa, snuggled together, while Hermione read _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ out loud. Tony very carefully snapped a picture on his phone. He fully intended to email it to both Jethro and the Grangers. Harry would get it in a photo album at Christmas. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and stepped fully into the room. Hermione finished a sentence and stopped.

“Hi guys,” said Tony. “Have a good day?”

“We did!” said Hermione. “Harry’s brilliant at Arithmancy. I think he’ll be caught up by Halloween.”

Harry blushed. “I’m not that great at it. It just makes sense. Like, way more sense than anything in Divination did.” He shifted a bit so Hermione could sit up. “How’d it go at the Ministry?”

Tony flopped into an armchair across from their sofa. “Oh, the Ministry is a dumpster fire,” he said. “We have to organize ‘how the world actually works’ seminars and shuffle every single department through them. I interviewed some idiots today who think we’re still using telegraphs to communicate long-distance.”

“Telegraphs,” said Hermione. “Why?”

Tony shrugged. “They’re middle-aged and took Muggle Studies fifty years ago? I explained that ‘telegraph’ is a technical term for long-distance message transmission, but the type of telegraph they were thinking of is now mostly obsolete. Some countries still use them, but most of us have switched to email.” He snorted. “The only people I talked to who had even heard of the internet were all Muggleborns.” Then he grimaced. “We have got to get the British public using a better word for that.”

“One step at a time,” said Hermione cheerfully. 

Tony’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller and straightened up. “I have to take this, I’m afraid. Carry on!” He heaved himself out of his chair and headed for the study as he answered the phone. “This is DiNozzo.”

“DiNozzo, what happened with Abby?”

“Why are you asking me, Kate?” said Tony. “Last time I checked, I was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.”

He heard Kate sigh. “She wasn’t here today, and we all got orders that we were going be interviewed about her and what we knew about her activities. I just got out of my interview and this guy from an agency I’ve never heard of before asked me a lot of questions about how Abby interacts with you. Spill.”

Tony shut the door of the study behind himself. “I only know so much right now,” he said. “Seriously. Gibbs will have more info than me.”

“He’s not talking to us, and I know he talks to you.”

“Kate, I got one phone call early this morning where I was informed that Abby had been arrested for using NCIS equipment to hack into my bank accounts.”

“She what?” Kate practically shouted. “What the hell?”

“I know,” said Tony. “I told them I was okay with them charging her for the offense and that’s pretty much been the extent of my involvement.”

Kate paused for a second. “But that wouldn’t warrant these people from some nameless agency showing up. Where do you work now?”

“I can’t tell you,” said Tony cheerfully. “Classified. I’d have to go all Men in Black on you and erase your memory.”

“Yeah, right, Tony,” said Kate. “Fine, I’ll ask Gibbs. But Abby’s my friend and I want to know if she’s going to be okay.”

“Me too, Kate,” said Tony. He leaned against the wall. “I don’t really know what’s going on in her head, but I’m pretty sure this is it for our friendship.”

“I don’t blame you,” said Kate. She let out a long sigh. “Somehow I don’t think lighting a candle and saying a few ‘Hail Marys’ for her will help, either.”

“Do what you can but don’t let her push you into doing something you aren’t okay with, promise?”

Kate snorted. “Yeah. Abby’s wiles are not going to be working on me after this.” She paused for a moment and then said, “How’s Harry? Is he settling in okay?”

“Yeah,” said Tony. “He’s doing great. He doesn’t head back to school until the beginning of September so we have a few more weeks together. He’s having one of his friends over later this week to introduce the kid to _Star Wars_. His best friend’s family doesn’t watch TV so he’s barely even heard of it. Harry’s turning into a complete Star Wars nerd and it is fantastic to watch.”

“You pretend to be a jock but you’re a secret nerd, too,” said Kate.

“Oh, nothing secret about that side of me these days,” said Tony. “Anyway, I’m on kitchen duty tonight so I’d better go. I hope things get better over there.”

“Thanks,” said Kate. “Talk to you later.”

Tony hung up and headed for the kitchen. Lizbet wanted him to chop things for her this evening.

*********************************

“But the bit at the beginning said it happened long ago in a galaxy far away!” Ron protested.

“It’s a narrative device,” said Hermione. “The movie’s complete and utter fiction. That’s the point.”

“It’s like a longer version of photos with sound,” said Ron. “So it has to be historical records or something.”

“Ron, people film other people acting on sets. Haven’t you ever listened to a radio play?”

Ron nodded. “Well, yeah. Are you saying it’s like that?”

“Yes,” said Harry. “Just like that, but with pictures, too.” He walked over to the entertainment centre and took out the DVD. “Did you want to see the next part?”

“Sure,” said Ron. “There’s more?”

“Yup,” said Harry. 

Tony knocked on the door frame. “Hey guys,” he said. “How’s the marathon going?”

“One down, four to go,” said Hermione. “We’ll have to show him the last one at Christmas.”

“I can’t believe you want to corrupt him with the prequels,” said Tony. 

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Natalie Portman. Liam Neeson. Ewan McGregor.”

“Fine,” said Tony, throwing up his hands with an overly dramatic sigh. “Be that way.” He tugged at Jethro’s sleeve and pulled him into the doorway. “Oh, this is Jethro,” he said. “I just picked him up from the airport.”

Harry came over. “Hey,” he said. “Good to see you.”

“You too,” said Jethro. He squeezed Harry’s shoulder. “Hermione, nice to meet you in person.”

“Likewise,” said Hermione, shaking Jethro’s hand. “This is our friend Ron Weasley.”

“Hi,” said Jethro, offering his hand to Ron. 

Ron shook it gingerly. “Um, hi,” he said. “Are you really a Squib?”

Jethro frowned. “I’m a person, last I checked,” he said. 

“The term in the US for people with magical cores who lack sufficient channels for wand use is Dormant,” said Tony. “I prefer that, as it’s not as dehumanizing as Squib, but Jethro’s mostly lived and worked in the mundane world, so he doesn’t usually use that term either.”

Ron looked embarrassed. “Sorry. No one I know would marry a Squib. The only one I actually know is Filch.”

Tony exhaled with irritation. “Yes. I’ve heard about him. Anyway, we should let you kids get back to your movie marathon. Just wanted to drop by and say hi.”

Tony dragged Jethro out of the entertainment room, not quickly enough to avoid hearing Hermione say, “Really, Ron?”

“Sorry about that,” said Tony. 

“He’s what, fourteen?” said Jethro. “Fourteen-year-olds can be pretty damn obnoxious, and he obviously has no real idea why what he said was a problem.” He paused for a moment. “It bugs you more than me.”

Tony stopped walking. “Yeah, it does.” Jethro tugged Tony over into his arms. They’d made it to an empty hallway out of earshot of the kids. “It’s just...I remember when Mom was drunk, she’d sometimes talk about how the other magical families treated her. Squib is a slur. Dormant is at least descriptive, but a squib is either a hissing firework or a weak person. You’re not weak. Neither was she, but Dad still broke her.”

Jethro held Tony more tightly. “You are not your father.”

“Sometimes I wonder,” said Tony. “The only reason I’m not Anthony DiNozzo Jr. is because I changed my name when I turned eighteen. I dropped my middle name and the junior bit and added Paddington in there.” He blinked. “Anyway, I was breaking down about Britain and Squibs, not my father. That’s a different topic.”

His partner snorted. “They all connect sometimes. I have to say...it’s a little strange to look at Harry and realize that I’m now involved in his life. After Kelly...well, I thought I’d never have to deal with the teen years.”

Tony started to laugh. “Oh, you are so getting the first time he sneaks out at night, then. Wouldn’t want to deprive you of the experience.” He hugged Jethro back, as tightly as he could. 

“Nah, we should pull a good cop, bad cop routine on him.” Jethro pressed a kiss to the top of Tony’s head and smiled.

“That sounds like more fun than the sex talk was,” said Tony.

“Are you still griping about that?”

“It was weird!” Tony protested. “I had to use the word mucus in a sentence!”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they're off to the World Cup!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'd fully intended to get this out much, much earlier, but hey, I got stuck, and then I got busy. I've got a chapter or two more and a short epilogue planned.

**Paddington House – The World Cup**

Tony cracked his knuckles. “Are we ready to go?” he asked. “Food packed, extra clothes, books, handcuffs?”

“Why do we need handcuffs?” Hermione asked.

Jethro raised an eyebrow. “When don’t we need handcuffs? Event like this is prime territory for petty crime. I shoved some extra sets of those special ones in that magic backpack.”

“But don’t you have to be an officer of the law to arrest someone?” Hermione persisted.

“Well, there is always a citizen’s arrest,” said Tony. “Plus I am now an official agent of the ICW, which means I do have the authority to arrest someone if I witness them committing a crime. I just have to turn them over to the British authorities unless the offense falls under ICW jurisdiction.”

“You just like arresting people,” Harry said.

“There is that,” said Tony. “Crispian, you’re Apparating with Harry and Hermione, and I’m taking Jethro. Let’s go before things get too crazy at the site.”

They arrived in a misty field that was slowly filling up with wizards who were trying too hard to dress like non-magicals. Tony winced when he saw a wizard wander by in a dress shirt and denim shorts with stripey kneesocks. Hermione’s eyes grew big and she reached for Harry’s hand. He clutched it tightly. Neither of them had ever seen so many magicals in one place. 

“We’re meeting the Weasley family at their campsite,” Tony said, trying to ignore the clashing styles of clothing. He looked around and found a house labeled “Site Manager.”

They walked over to the house to find the Weasley family lined up outside and were just in time to witness the site manager getting obliviated. Jethro and Tony exchanged grim looks. This was one of things that the new legislation would be changing, but the committee handling those specific revisions wouldn’t be starting their work proper for another week. 

Arthur greeted them enthusiastically, and Ron made a beeline for Harry and Hermione. 

Tony introduced Jethro to Arthur and the twins. Ginny had trailed behind Ron and shyly greeted Harry. Crispian said hello to Arthur and asked the twins how their joke shop planning was going. “Where’s the rest of your family?” Tony asked.

“Molly didn’t want to come,” said Arthur. “She’s never been too keen on Quidditch, so she’s having a quiet day to herself, and the older boys are all Apparating in later. None of them wanted to be up before seven.” He consulted the map. “Our site is over here. I borrowed tents from a friend at work who doesn’t use them much. I don’t suppose any of you know how to set them up?” 

Jethro nodded. “Been camping since I was a kid,” he said. “And I’ve dragged Tony camping more than once.”

Tony poked him. “I have not-so-fond memories of camping expeditions at school, but I do just fine in the wilderness, thank you very much.”

“Your school went camping?” said Arthur. “Didn’t you go to a magical school?”

“I went to a military boarding school that offered places to magical students, Squibs, and non-magical relatives of magicals,” said Tony. “If we weren’t in class, magic was usually off-limits. Camping trips were a no-magic zone.”

“Oh, that’s fascinating!” said Arthur. “Did it work, having Muggles and Squibs in with wizards? I can’t imagine that flying over here.”

“Went fine,” said Tony. “I wasn’t particularly thrilled about the military aspect of it, but the rest of it was decent. It’s not a huge school, but they always have a waiting list. They’re pretty popular.”

When they arrived at the site, Tony and Jethro took over setting up the tents. Arthur had never used one before, so he watched avidly and asked questions. Tony ducked his head in once they had both set up, and grabbed Jethro to pull him inside. 

“What the hell?” Jethro said, taking in the apartment set-up and the scent of cat. 

“Magical space,” said Tony. “I guess the owner likes cats.”

“Good thing none of us are allergic,” said Crispian, who had followed them in. “What’s the point of camping if you’re doing it like this?” he muttered.

Tony shrugged. “You can get magical tents like this back in the States, too. It’s like camping with a trailer—sorry, caravan—instead of a tent. But you can just pay for a tent space instead. Saves money, assuming you haven’t gone all out and spent all of yours on the tent.”

Harry and Hermione came in. “This is mental,” said Harry. “Isn’t camping supposed to be about living rough?”

“I was reading an article about camping in fancy tents earlier,” said Hermione. “They’re calling it glamping now.”

“Glamping?” said Jethro. 

“Glamorous camping,” said Hermione. She shrugged. “It’s not like nobility haven’t been doing it for centuries, but I suppose it’s easier to manage if you have magic.”

Tony glanced around as the rest of the Weasleys crowded in. “I suppose it’s a good thing they’ve excluded non-magical people from the event entirely,” he said. “It’s not exactly the height of secrecy if you’ve got a dozen people cramming into a two person tent.”

“Muggles don’t have tents like this?” said Arthur. “I was told this looked standard for Muggle camping.”

“It’s fine on the outside,” Tony assured him. “But magical space isn’t a thing in non-magical communities so it would be unusual if someone saw all of us trooping in and out of the tent.”

Harry tugged at Hermione’s sleeve and pulled her back outside. He sneezed once they got out. She offered him a handkerchief.

“Thanks,” said Harry.

Tony told Harry and Hermione that they were allowed to explore the camp with Ron as long as they stayed together and returned in time for them to head over to the stadium together. In the meantime, he hung around the campsite to chat with Arthur and get him a little more educated on the rest of the world while Jethro drank coffee out of a thermos and eyed the throng of wizards. Crispian wandered off to find a few friends he was meeting over at the refreshments tent. 

The older Weasley boys arrived as a group around the time Tony was done explaining traffic cones to Arthur. By this point, Tony was well-acquainted with Percy and Bill, but hadn’t yet met Charlie. He seemed a lot like Bill—steady, sure of himself, and confident in his abilities. Tony asked him about his work, and Charlie was happy to talk about dragons until Harry and his friends returned to the campsite. They migrated towards the stadium and found their seats. Harry had used his pocket money to buy two sets of Omnioculars. Hermione was happy to share with Harry, since she wasn’t as interested in watching every detail of the game, and Ron seemed a little embarrassed by Harry’s generosity. Tony mentally counted up the cost of the Omnioculars and winced slightly. He’d seen the booth where they were being sold at 10 Galleons each. It was generous of Harry, but he could understand Ron feeling a bit awkward about Harry spending £50 on him just like that. Harry had similar reactions when Tony spent money on him, though Harry’s came from a childhood of neglect and Ron’s came from growing up in a family where money was often tight. He didn’t want to discourage Harry’s generosity, but he also wanted him to take the gift and the recipient into consideration. He sighed. Parenting was challenging.

Jethro nudged him. “So, what’s going on now?” 

Tony shook his head. “Right, I explained the rules of Quidditch, but there’s all the pre-game stuff now. Down there are the team mascots for Ireland, and the ones for Bulgaria. They each get to show off before the game starts...” Tony set aside his worries for the moment so he could narrate the event for Jethro. They watched as the game moved quickly and then ended on the sudden note of Bulgaria winning the Snitch but losing the game.

*******************************************************************************

That evening, the atmosphere after the game held a note of tension. Tony and Jethro were both on alert. Crispian had headed home as soon as the game was over, and Tony was working on convincing Harry and Hermione that they should go home soon. He wasn’t sure they should stay much longer. The Ireland supporters were celebrating, and the Bulgarian fans were commiserating with each other, but neither side seemed to be angry about the outcome. Tony wasn’t worried about this turning into a typical football riot. Something else was off. Harry elbowed his cousin. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Something’s going to happen,” said Tony. Right on cue, they suddenly heard screaming, not far from the tents. “And fuck, there it is.” He and Jethro made eye contact, and then Jethro was standing between the entrance of the tent and everyone else while Tony ducked outside to see what was going on.

Once Tony took in the scene outside the tent, he turned back inside and started giving orders. “Right,” he said. “Harry, Hermione, I want you to grab Ron, Ginny, and the twins, and use your Portkeys. Tell Crispian and Aunt and Uncle that there’s been a terrorist attack and that we’ll be along as soon as we can. Ask them to Floo Molly and call the Grangers to reassure them that Hermione’s safe. Now.”

Harry grabbed the twins’ hands and Hermione grabbed Ron and Ginny and the kids were gone before any of the older Weasleys could protest. Tony turned to Jethro. “You up for this?”

His partner nodded grimly. “What do we do?”

The camp was chaos – the arrival of the Death Eaters had sent people running and screaming, and no one was going for the Death Eaters. The non-magical family the Death Eaters were torturing had to be terrified. “We’re going after them,” said Tony. “Bill, Charlie, Arthur, I want you to be ready to catch the family when we interrupt the Death Eaters. Get them safely down and don’t let anyone near them except for me or Jethro. They’re victims of a crime and I won’t have the Aurors obliviating them before we can even get their statements.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Percy, contact Benedikta Wolfer at the ICW. She’s one of the pre-programmed contacts. Tell her we have Death Eaters at the World Cup and to get a team here now. Then join your brothers.”

Percy accepted the phone, which he had learned how to use earlier that week, and started making the call. 

Tony and Jethro headed for the Death Eaters, none of whom were expecting a swift mass disarming spell followed by a short bout of hand-to-hand combat, magic-limiting handcuffs, and an angry ICW agent who summoned all their Portkeys and then went about setting up a perimeter to keep bystanders out while a Squib made sure each one of them was properly secured. 

Arthur and the boys landed the Muggle family safely. The little girl passed out once they hit the ground, and Bill stood there holding her. The site manager was having a panic attack and Arthur had no idea what to do. Jethro strode over. “See if Tony needs anything,” he ordered. “Sit down, head between your knees, and breathe,” he told the man, helping support him. “Keep breathing. You’re safe now.”

“My family,” he managed.

Jethro took a quick look. Charlie and Percy were both standing with a hysterically sobbing woman who wouldn’t let go of her daugher’s hand, even though Bill was still holding the child. “Your wife’s okay, and I think your daughter’s going to be all right.”

“What—what were they?”

“Terrorists,” said Jethro grimly. 

Several pops signalled the Apparition of the ICW team. “What the hell is going on here, DiNozzo?” Agent Wolfer demanded.

“Death Eaters, or copycats,” said Tony. “We’ve got them cuffed. I’ve bagged their wands en masse. The same with their Portkeys. I’d recommend transporting them to holding immediately, before the Aurors show and you have a turf war on your hands.”

Agent Wolfer sniffed. “We have jurisdiction—international event, international terrorists,” she said. “But I take your point.” She gestured at three people from her team. “Transport, now,” she said. “Get their identities once they’re in holding.”

The agents moved to obey, each of them taking several people and Portkeying out. Tony quickly summarized what he had witnessed for Agent Wolfer and took her to the Muggle family. “The man’s been Obliviated multiple times today,” he murmured to her. “He’s already suffering mental damage and he’ll be requiring treatment for that as well as for any trauma received now.”

She nodded. “I thought Britain was banning that barbarous practice.”

“They have about eighteen months to get into compliance,” said Tony. “I’m working on it.”

She sighed. “Else and Praveen, please take them to medical and get them treated. We’ll handle their statements later. The rest of you, take statements from the crowd, as best you can. DiNozzo?”

“I’ve got kids at home who need reassuring,” he said. “Did you want to send someone for my statement tomorrow morning or do you want me to come in?”

She frowned for a moment, taking in Tony, Jethro, and the Weasleys. “I think I will meet you at Paddington House,” she said. “If the others can be there as well. Eleven, perhaps?”

“Done,” said Tony. 

“Good,” she agreed. “Go to your child, DiNozzo. He will be worried.”

Tony and Jethro both had emergency Portkeys on them, ones which would allowed the Weasleys through the wards, so they took the family back at the same time. They landed in the foyer of Paddington House. Harry rushed out of the sitting room and flung himself at Tony. 

“Hey, we’re okay,” said Tony, hugging his cousin. 

“Did you get them?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, we did,” said Tony. 

“Who was it?” Crispian asked from the door of the sitting room.

“Death Eaters,” said Tony. “Or copycats, but either way, bigoted assholes with wands who didn’t mind turning them on a helpless kid.”

“Who’d you call in for it?”

“Benedikta.”

Crispian’s grin made him resemble a wolf for a moment. “Excellent choice,” he said. “We’ve got tea and stuff in here. I think you’ll all want a breather before you go home.”

Arthur looked up from hugging Ginny and Ron. “Thank you, Crispian. I believe we will.”

“Molly Flooed earlier. We were able to assure her that your younger ones were here and safe. You may want to let her know that you’re well,” said Crispian. “Mum’s on the phone with Hermione’s parents.”

Arthur pulled out his wand and cast a Patronus. “Go tell Molly that we’re all safe, at Paddington House, and we’ll be home soon.” The weasel darted off and vanished through the wall. 

Harry watched it go. “I didn’t know they could do that,” he said.

“Yeah, it’s a handy trick,” said Tony. “Excuse me for a moment.” He nearly ran to the nearest water closet and vomited. 

Jethro followed him. “Okay, Tony?”

“Those absolute _fuckers_ ,” Tony gasped. “I wish I’d set them on fire!”

Jethro rubbed Tony’s back as he vomited again. “I’d have helped,” he said. 

Crispian tapped on the doorframe. “Here,” he said, offering a glass to Jethro, who took it with a nod and filled it with cold water. Tony accepted the glass from Jethro, rinsed his mouth out, and then drank the rest of it.

“The kids will probably want to know the bare bones of it,” said Tony. “Ready?”

“Not really, no,” said Crispian. “I don’t want to know the bare bones of it.”

“Too bad,” said Tony. He made his way back into the sitting room and accepted the cup of tea his aunt offered him. “Thanks, Auntie Huang.” 

“For the shock,” she said. “I put a few drops of Calming Draught in it.”

Tony glanced around the room. The twins were talking quietly with Charlie and Bill. He’d never seen the kids look so serious before. Percy was refilling a cup of tea and dosing it with Calming Draught. He looked close to passing out, so Tony figured he needed it. Ron was sitting next to Percy, staring into his own cup. Arthur was speaking into the fire with a worried-looking Molly while Ginny clung to him. Harry was crowded into an armchair with Hermione. Clive wandered around the room with a second teapot, refreshing people’s cups as needed.

Then Tony’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID, and groaned. He pushed the button to answer and took a quick swallow of his tea before saying, “This is DiNozzo.”

“I heard about the incident on the Wizarding Wireless,” said a sharp voice. “I hadn’t heard any murmurings beforehand.”

“You’re under too much suspicion for it,” said Tony. “I’m not surprised.”

“The Wireless mostly said that the ICW took over and the reporter had no clue what was going on.”

Tony slid onto a couch. “My partner and I apprehended the Death Eaters and handed them over to ICW custody. The older members of the Weasley family rescued the non-magicals the Death Eaters attacked. They’re with the ICW now, so they should be safe. No one else was injured unless there was a riot after we left.”

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “And Potter?”

“I had him and the other kids with us Portkey out first thing. They’re safe.”

“Good. Apparently he listens to you. I have some of the information you asked me to acquire. Is tomorrow convenient?”

“In the afternoon or evening, yeah. Come for dinner if you like,” said Tony. “See you tomorrow, Severus.” 

“Agreed,” said Severus Snape. The phone clicked off.

Harry was staring at his cousin with wide eyes. “You were talking to _Snape_?” he said.  
“Yes,” said Tony. “He’s doing some research for me.”

“But he’s a git!” said Ron.

Tony blinked as he turned to look at Ron. “That doesn’t prevent him from being good at research,” he said. “But this is a different conversation than the one we need to have now. Arthur, do you mind if I brief them?”

Arthur, who had ended the Floo call while Tony was on the phone, shrugged. “You might as well,” he said. 

“Fine,” said Tony. Jethro had slid into the seat next to him and he leaned against his fiancé for support. “The World Cup event was attacked by people who were dressed as Death Eaters, the people who followed Voldemort during the war. I can’t say for sure whether these people were actual Death Eaters, or people using the imagery to cause panic. They attacked the family who run the campsite. I personally witnessed them levitating the family at least twenty feet from the ground, but don’t know if that’s all they did. Jethro and I caught them by surprise so Arthur, Bill, and Charlie could rescue the family. Percy called in the ICW for us. We managed to get the culprits subdued and handcuffed before the ICW arrived, and they took them straight to holding.”

“Why didn’t the Aurors help?” asked Hermione. “Isn’t that their job?”

“No one else was acting to intervene, and speed was of the essence,” said Tony. “Additionally, this was an international event, and the Death Eaters are classed as international terrorists due to their having staged attacks in Ireland and on the continent during the war. ICW has jurisdiction.”

“Oh,” said Hermione. She looked thoughtful. “Why did they attack that family? Why not someone more important?”

“They wanted to cause fear, but they also didn’t want to get in too much trouble for it, should the Aurors intervene,” said Tony. “At least, that would be my guess. We may know more later. Benedikta offered to come here to take your statements tomorrow. I’d suggest that you all write things down now while they’re still fresh, and then head home for the rest of the night. Hermione, we can send you back through the Floo to your house.”

She nodded. “Will my parents be safe?”

Tony exchanged a look with Clive, who spoke up. “Huang and I built wards for your parents’ home,” he said. “We installed them a couple of weeks ago on one of the days you were over here. We had concerns about your safety because of your closeness to Harry, and wanted to make sure that you and your family will be as secure as we can make you.”

“Thank you,” said Hermione. She stood and gave Clive a hug. The older man looked surprised and gently patted her shoulder. Huang came over and joined the embrace. 

“We would not have you lose them if it is avoidable,” Huang murmured. “In the last war, we lost far too many of our family because of those damned Death Eaters. I will not have it so again.”

Harry came over and hugged Hermione tightly once she let go of Clive and Huang. “See you tomorrow?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said. “We still have runes studies to go over.”

“I’ll make sure she gets home safely,” said Huang. She activated the Floo and took Hermione through, going with her. 

“Bedtime for you, Harry,” said Tony. “You might want to take a dose of Dreamless Sleep tonight.”

Harry grimaced but nodded. “What about you?”

“Jethro and I will be up soon, once we’ve seen the Weasleys off. Crispian?”

“I’ll head upstairs, too,” said his cousin, catching Tony’s meaning. He didn’t want to leave Harry alone on the upper floor, either, with how jumpy Harry was looking after Tony’s brief explanation.

Tony and Jethro helped the Weasleys get their statements written out, and then saw them off through the Floo. Huang had come back shortly before the Weasleys left, so as soon as they were gone, Clive locked down the wards so no one could get in through the Floo.

Tony showered before going to bed, trying to scrub the worst of the day off. Jethro joined him in the shower after he checked on Harry. “You’re clean, Tony,” he assured his lover. 

“I just feel dirty after dealing with the whole thing,” Tony mumbled. “I come home and start actively trying to make this a better place, and then they just storm in to ruin it, the racist bastards.”

Jethro pulled him close and kissed him while the water streamed down on them. “I’ve got you,” he whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day after the Quidditch World Cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here it is! Last chapter, and then the epilogue is next!

_Paddington House_

The morning started with Tony fielding a call from Remus, who was still in Iceland with Sirius. Tony summarized the events from the day before for Remus, who relayed them to Sirius, and then when Harry stumbled into the kitchen, still in his pajamas and with his hair even more of a mess than usual, he passed the phone off to him. “It’s Remus and Sirius. They heard the news and wanted to know if you were safe.”

“Oh,” said Harry. “Um, hi?”

Tony passed Harry the cup of tea that Lizbet offered to him, and went to fiddle with the espresso machine in the kitchen. Lizbet was suspicious of it, and preferred her older stovetop espresso maker. Tony wanted his espresso a little faster this morning, though, especially after Remus grilled him. He checked the clock. It was ten, so they had an hour to get sorted before Benedikta would arrive to take their statements. Harry gulped half of his tea down and wandered into the pantry so he could have his conversation in private. 

“Where’s Clive and Huang?” Tony asked.

“Mum and Dad wanted to have a day to themselves,” said Crispian, folding his newspaper. He made a face. “They locked themselves in their suite. Dad wandered down here to fetch breakfast earlier and told me that under no circumstances were we to interrupt them. Except for an apocalypse.”

Tony snorted. “You know, I’m glad for them, but they’re the closest thing I have to parental figures.”

“Yes, well, they’re actually my parents, so it’s even more awkward for me.” Crispian opened the next newspaper in the stack of Sunday papers. 

Jethro wandered in to refill his coffee mug from the pot of brewed coffee that sat on the counter. He sipped it and frowned for a second. “I can’t get used to that,” he said.

“What?” said Tony.

“It’s still hot. And like it’s freshly brewed.”

Tony shrugged. “Warming and Preservation Charm,” he said. He spun a dial on the espresso machine and it started brewing. “Basically a magic thermos.”

“But you have a magical thermos. This is just sitting in the pot like this.”

Tony leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jethro’s cheek. “I’d call you adorable, but then you’d probably feel the need to re-assert your manliness with a sparring session. I’m a little too used to this particular magic to find it exciting anymore.”

“So you’re jaded,” said Crispian, tossing aside the paper he’d picked up. “ _The Prophet’s_ report is all sensationalism; the international papers are more accurate. Either way, no one has names yet. The ICW’s keeping a lid on that for now.”

“Sensible,” said Tony. He steamed milk with hazelnut syrup while the espresso dripped into the cups. He was going for a double this morning because there was no way he would make through the meeting with Benedikta without that.

Harry emerged from the pantry and set Tony’s phone on the table. He slumped into a chair. “Sirius is acting like I nearly died yesterday.”

“He’s worried about you,” said Tony absently as he finished preparing his latte.

“I was barely in danger this time,” said Harry. “He’s making more of a fuss than anyone did the times I actually nearly died.”

Tony’s latte sloshed slightly. He calmly picked up a cloth and wiped up the spill. “Get used to it, kid,” said Tony. “The only reason I wasn’t worried about you yesterday was because I knew you were safe. If you almost die again, believe me that I will go ballistic on whoever caused you to almost die.”

“Fine,” said Harry. “It’s still weird.”

When the wards chimed to let them know about a Floo call, Crispian tossed the American news over to Tony. “That’s probably the Weasley kids. I’ll go answer.”

Harry accepted breakfast from Lizbet, and looked at the paper that Tony was holding. _Death Eaters Attack Quidditch World Cup; ICW Takes Nine Into Custody_. “They don’t have any pictures of the Death Eaters,” he said.

“Nope,” said Tony with satisfaction. “I think we apprehended them quickly enough to keep the reporters from pulling themselves together.”

“You did,” said a German-accented voice from the door. The ICW agent from the night before stood in the doorway, with Crispian a few steps behind her.

“Ah, Benedikta,” said Tony. “You’re early.”

She shrugged. “I have been up all night, and as I recall, the Paddingtons stock excellent coffee.”

“Of course,” said Tony. He set his coffee aside and stood. “Do you need food as well?”

“Just coffee for the moment,” she said. She accepted the chair Tony pulled out for her. “Now, I believe I have not met any of these people properly.”

“Ah yes,” said Tony. “I believe you have met Crispian before.”

“We have met,” said Benedikta. She turned to look at Crispian. “Were you a witness to the event?”

“No, I’d already gone home for the evening,” said Crispian. “I handled the tea and biscuits back here when the kids arrived.” He joined them at the table and poured himself another cup of tea.

“You saw my fiancé, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, last night, but weren’t introduced. Jethro, this is Benedikta Wolfer.”

Jethro shook hands with Benedikta. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

“Likewise,” she said. “You did excellent work last night.”

“Thank you,” said Jethro.

“And this is my cousin, Harry Potter,” said Tony. Harry waved from his spot, but focused on his breakfast. Benedikta nodded in acknowledgement. 

“And the delightful elf making your coffee right now is Lizbet.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Benedikta. She accepted a cup from Lizbet. “This smells perfect,” she said.

“Thank you,” said Lizbet. “Would madam agent like some fruit?”

Benedikta sighed. “You remind me of the housekeeper in my grandmother’s home. She never lets me get away with just coffee, either. Yes, I will take some fruit, thank you.”

“Good,” said Lizbet, turning to prepare a plate.

Benedikta sipped her coffee for a moment before speaking. “I am early in part because I wished to speak with you before the Weasley family arrived. Mr. Potter, can you keep your mouth shut about this news until it is public?”

“Yes,” said Harry. “But I can leave if you want me to.”

She waved a hand. “Stay. It is your home I am invading, after all. Tony, you arrested Lucius Malfoy last night.”

Tony set his cup down with an audible click against the saucer. “How very interesting.”

“Each man in custody had the Dark Mark and testified that it had been quiescent until recently, when it began to darken. Each of them were among those who pled coercion, Imperius, or simply paid for their freedom at the end of the war. They were...displeased to learn that they were considered international terrorists and that the ICW had never cancelled the warrants for active Death Eaters, and that their actions last night meant that they were considered active Death Eaters. They have been interrogated more thoroughly to determine whether any were indeed coerced, as there is extensive evidence that Voldemort would and did coerce followers. Unfortunately for them, based on results from both Veritaserum and truth spells, none of them were victims of coercion.”

“I see,” said Tony. “How will this play out?”

“Given the circumstances, we’ve filed charges, and they will be tried as soon as the lawyers can prepare their cases. Mr. Malfoy in particular has compounded the issue by attempting to bribe his interrogators.”

“Of course,” said Tony. “He’s that type. So, what now?”

The Floo chimed again. Crispian stood. “I’ll get it. Sitting room?”

Tony nodded. 

Benedikta produced a folder from her briefcase. “Now I take statements and then get back to work building a case.”

*************************************************

Tony barely had time to gather his thoughts after seeing off the Weasleys and Benedikta when Severus Snape arrived. Harry had disappeared into the library during the interviews, so Tony took Severus to his uncle’s office.

“Would you like tea, coffee, or something stronger?” Tony asked.

Severus took the chair Tony offered. “I am tempted to ask for something stronger but I think coffee would be best for now.”

Lizbet, who had been listening, popped in with a coffee tray. “Thanks, Lizbet,” said Tony. “Were you staying for dinner, Severus?”

The Potions Master picked up a cup from the tray. “If I am welcome. I would appreciate the chance to speak with your cousin Crispian.”

“Then we’ll be six for dinner, Lizbet, unless Aunt and Uncle emerge.”

Lizbet looked at Severus. “Allergies?”

“No,” said Severus, sounding suprised. “Thank you for asking.”

Lizbet huffed something that sounded like, “Silly wizards!” and popped away.

“Your family’s elf is an interesting character,” Severus remarked.

“She is indeed,” said Tony. “She’s been with the family for generations, so she knows better than all of us.” Tony offered Severus the plate of biscuits from the tray. He declined, and Tony set the plate down. “So, what’s the damage?”

Severus gestured toward the folders he’d set on the desk. “I brought dossiers, but I reported my findings to Agent Asker, as you suggested. I have been unable to meet every staff member in person, but given what I have found, Agent Asker has detailed a team to meet with the rest of the faculty.”

Tony absent-mindedly stirred a spoonful of sugar into his coffee cup. He reminded himself that he would need to stop the caffeine within the next few hours if he actually wanted to sleep tonight. “So, what did you find?”

Severus frowned deeply. “Minerva had been labouring under a set of mild behavioural charms, and had a few memory gaps. It was enough to nudge her in the direction Albus desired without drastically altering her personality. Poppy...Poppy had been charmed so many times that her vows of healing were on the verge of fracturing.”

“Fuck,” said Tony. 

“Indeed,” said Severus. “Fortunately for me, he limited himself to blackmail and threats. I testified to the ICW team about my actions in the war, and they issued their own version of the pardon the British Ministry gave me.” He glanced up at Tony and raised his eyebrows. “Then Agent Asker dragged me off to their research department and shoved me into a ritual which removed the Dark Mark.” He blinked and broke eye contact. “I had not realized it could be removed. The Dark Lord told us all that he was the only one who could remove it.”

“Absolutes always have exceptions,” said Tony. “I’m glad for you.”

“I don’t quite know what to make of myself now, but I think my Slytherins need me.”

Tony tapped his fingers on the edge of the cup. “Will McGonagall be fit to act as Headmistress this year?”

“I think so,” said Severus. “She’s been relieved of the magical manipulations that Albus left on her, and Agent Asker recommended a therapist. She had her first appointment last week. Filius has been promoted to Deputy Head. Albus won’t be allowed back, even if he wiggles out of the charges against him. His record over the last three years, combined with the charm work on the staff, and the restraining order Minerva filed against him, will shut him out.”

“I wouldn’t be allowing Harry to return to Hogwarts if Dumbledore was there,” said Tony evenly. “Can you promise me that the students will be in safer hands this year?”

“I can promise you that the wards have been reworked properly,” said Severus. “Minerva has always been more concerned about safety than Albus was. And I would like to remind you that no students have died, despite their best efforts.”

“But some came very close, including Harry,” said Tony. “If anything untoward occurs, I will remove him from the school. The only reason he’s still attending is because he’s told me that he really wants to be there. He loves Hogwarts, and he loves his friends. He doesn’t want to lose that, but if his life is in danger, or if you continue to tolerate bullying among the students, I will not hesitate to pull him out.”

“Minerva’s already drafted anti-bullying policies,” said Severus. “Albus kept blocking her. They’re going into effect this year. I won’t be continuing my past behaviour towards him, either.”

“No need to maintain a front without the Dark Mark?” Tony asked.

“Precisely,” said Severus. “I would like the chance to not be a horrible teacher for once. I don’t know if I can manage it, but I would like to try.”

“Harry’s learned the material,” said Tony. “I can’t say if that’s your instruction or his own desire to prove you wrong, but he knows it.”

Severus finished his coffee. “I have much to atone for,” he said. 

Tony nodded. “Then do your best.”

**********************************************************************

Harry was obviously uncomfortable with having Professor Snape at the dinner table, but was doing his best to hide it. He was staring down at his plate, and his shoulders were stiff. He poked at his food.

Tony decided to intervene after Severus asked Crispian if he’d be willing to come in and do one or two days a week at Hogwarts while Poppy recovered. 

“Depends on the days and on the compensation offered,” said Crispian. “I can give you two days a week as long as they aren’t Fridays or Mondays, since those tend to be the busiest days for my practice.”

“Minerva’s authorized me to offer you your standard fees for those days, if that would suit.”

Crispian pursed his lips. “Can the school budget handle that?”

Severus’ face went even more impassive. “It turns out that the state of the school’s budget has been grossly understated. Albus has been keeping salaries short for years, and the budget surplus is...alarmingly high as a result. Minerva has spoken with Gringotts to invest the amount accordingly, so we will continue to have funds to work with, but she has raised salaries for the staff and set up additional scholarships for both incoming and current students.”

“Was he actually embezzling it?”

“No,” said Severus. “Or, not yet. At any rate, we shall be able to afford you, Crispian, and we can arrange for you to work on your preferred days.”

“Then yes, I am available.”

“Great,” said Tony. “Now, let’s deal with the elephant in the room. Severus, would you?”

Severus nodded, and set down his utensils. “Mr. Potter, I owe you an apology. I owe you more than an apology, in truth, but all I can do for now is to apologize and change my behaviour. The way I have behaved towards you from your first day at Hogwarts has been appalling, inappropriate, and cruel. It was wrong. I regret it, and I will do better.”

Harry looked at him now. “Why? Why did you treat me like that? Why do you hate me?”

“I do not hate you, Mr. Potter. I was attempting to make you hate me so that, in the event of Dark Lord’s return, I would not be required to betray your trust since you would not trust me. It enhanced my standing as being a faithful follower of the Dark Lord, since all the Death Eaters hated you for his defeat. My actions were meant to maintain my cover as a spy in the Dark Lord’s camp, and to protect both myself and you.”

“Oh,” said Harry. He blinked for a moment. “That’s really fucked up.”

Tony sighed. “Do we need to do a swear jar?”

“No,” said Jethro. “I think that was a valid use of the word.”

“Fine,” said Tony, waving a fork at Harry. “Continue. I’m done being parental for the moment.”

“Are you going to be fairer to the Gryffindors?” Harry asked.

“As Head of Slytherin, I will continue to advocate for my students, but I will be moderating my actions. I’ve always been more fair to the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, but I do plan to be more appropriate regarding the Gryffindors.”

“Okay,” said Harry. He gave Severus a calculating look. “I still don’t like you, but I appreciate your apology. I’m not going to make up my mind until I see you actually change.”

“As you wish,”said Severus. “That is more than fair of you.”

Tony breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure how to explain to Harry that, back before his parents had gone into hiding, Severus’ position with the Order of the Phoenix had allowed him to reconcile with Lily. He had been one of Harry’s unofficial godparents. Harry’s willingness to accept Severus’ apology opened the door to telling that story to him without things going south.

Severus left as soon as dinner was over, and then Tony reluctantly went and grabbed Jethro’s bag from upstairs. It was time to catch his Portkey. Harry hugged Jethro goodbye. “I’ll be coming with Tony to see you at your first Hogsmeade weekend,” said Jethro. “Sorry I can’t be there when you head out to school.”

Harry shrugged. “Thanks,” he said. “Have a safe trip.”

Tony took Jethro’s hand for a moment and interlaced their fingers. “See you soon, Jeth.”

Jethro pulled Tony in for a kiss. “Next time I’ll be back for good,” he promised. 

“Looking forward to it.” He checked his watch. “One minute.”

Jethro took the teaspoon the Ministry had given them and slung his bag over his shoulder. He raised a hand in a wave as the Portkey activated. 

Tony and Harry stood there for a moment. “Are you okay?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” said Tony. “He’ll be back soon enough. Want to watch a movie? I still haven’t introduced you to _Jurassic Park_.”

“That’s the one with the dinosaurs, right?”

“Yep,” said Tony. 

“Cool,” said Harry. “I’ll go make some popcorn.”


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: Tony gets a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end! I don't currently have a sequel planned out but I deliberately left a few loose threads so I could pick them up later if I wanted to. At the moment, the plan is to go back to "On Your Side," get the first story finished, and finish writing and actually post some of the extended stories from that universe. Thanks for reading!

_Late September, Ministry of Magic, ICW Liaison Offices_

Tony signed off on the final syllabus for the education course that the Auror department would be starting next week. He took the stack of papers over to Percy. “We’re ready to file these with the appropriate departments.”

“Excellent,” said Percy. He started assembling the copies and putting them together for mail-out. Tony watched for a moment as the first paper airplane took flight. He really couldn’t get over the Ministry’s version of inter-office mail; it was one of the few things that he loved about the place. His mobile rang then, distracting him.

“Hello, this is DiNozzo,” he said automatically as he answered.

“ _Magic_ , DiNozzo? _Magic_?”

“Kate?” said Tony.

“Yes,” she said. “Seriously, you couldn’t have warned me?”

Tony returned to his desk. “I didn’t have cause to read you in. What happened?”

“A Marine went missing and it turned out it was because he got turned into a _werewolf_. He’s still alive, but he’s a werewolf, and there’s some sort of special medication and accomodations that he needs now, and the _Magical Bureau of Investigation_ stepped in.” Her tone was acidic. “They read me in and told me to contact you for more details, since we were already acquainted.”

“You talked with Gareth, didn’t you?” Tony knew his former handler far too well not to suspect him of just redirecting Kate so he wouldn’t have to deal with a million questions.

“Yes,” said Kate. “How did you know?”

“He was my handler before I transferred to the ICW,” said Tony. “Hey, I can tell you about my new job now!”

“What are you doing, exactly?”

Tony leaned back in his chair. “I’m a liaison agent for the International Confederation of Wizards, which is sort of the magical version of the UN combined with Interpol. The ICW recently reformed standards for member nations regarding interaction with the non-magical world, and I’m in charge of getting British magical law enforcement up to code.”

“That sounds interesting,” said Kate.

“Oh, it’s a hoot,” said Tony. “Most of these guys had never even heard of the Internet. They mostly think non-magical people are still at the Victorian era of development because they’ve been so insular.”

“Okay, now I envy you less,” said Kate. She cleared her throat. “How long have you been magical?”

“All my life,” said Tony. “It’s genetic. My mom’s side of the family is magical, my dad’s isn’t. Listen, I’m at work, since we’re five hours ahead of you. I can call you tonight after you’re off. Make a list of questions for me.”

“Right, sorry,” said Kate. “I got in late last night, and crashed, and now I’m having breakfast and it finally all hit and I have to go back into work and finish up the paperwork for this case.”

“How’s work, other than the werewolf Marine?”

Kate sighed. “I have a new security clearance, a new boss, and a new SFA. It’s a little crazy. Tim’s coping with it, but he got read in, too, and I think it broke his brain, especially when Ducky told him that this wasn’t the weirdest thing out there.”

“Right,” said Tony. “Jethro and I were wondering about how Tim would handle it if he found it.”

“Wait, is Gibbs magic, too?”

“He’s sort of half-magic,” said Tony. “I’ll explain tonight.” He glanced up as an irate pureblood strode into the room. Looked like the syllabus had not been received well. “And I gotta go.” He smiled. “Welcome to the magical world, Kate.”


End file.
